Committees' recent meetings - 16 December 2020
A summary of Kurdistan Parliament's committees' recent meetings and activities:
Endowments and Religious Affairs Committee
14 December - Members of the committee, led by Mala Ihsan Rekani (KDP), met with Christian leaders of Erbil, Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda, and Assyrian Bishop Abris Youkhanan.
The MPs and Christian religious leaders discussed the state of coexistence between different religions in Kurdistan, which has become a haven for religious and ethnic communities. They commended the role of religious leaders in promoting the culture of peaceful coexistence in Kurdistan Region and reiterated the support of the Parliament committee.
Archbishop Bashar Matti and Bishop Abris Youkhanan also commended the Kurdistan Parliament for enshrining peaceful coexistence into laws and resolutions and for its commitment to protecting the rights of the ethnic and religious communities in the Kurdistan Region.
Both sides agreed on cooperation to continue the culture of coexistence in the Kurdistan Region.
Interior, Security and Local Councils Committee
14 December - The committee, led by the chair Shakhawan Rauf Beg (Change Movement), held their regular meeting.
The committee discussed the recent protests and their investigations into the problems.
The chair proposed forming a joint committee together with Parliament's Social Affairs and Human Rights Committee, to visit the areas where demonstrations too place and turned to violence and destruction of buildings.
Notes and requests directed to the committee were discussed for follow-up.
Municipalities, Transport, Communication, Travel and Tourism Committee
14 December - Members of the committee, led by the chair Luqman Wardy (PUK), visited the Kurdistan Region Tourism Board and met with its Head, Amal Jalal.
Chair Luqman Wardy said, "Tourism in Kurdistan Region needs to be developed more and be made a source of greater income."
He said that the committee would like to coordinate with the Board and to work on a law on tourism.
Ms. Amal Jalal thanked the Parliament committee for its cooperation to help develop tourism so that the Region can benefit from its beautiful nature and tourist sites.
Both sides decided to arrange a workshop at the beginning of next year with tourism experts to discuss developing tourism sector and prepare a tourism bill.
Social Affairs and Protection of Human Rights Committee
14 December - The committee held a meeting about the incidents during demonstrations over the past few days in Slemani, Halabja, Garmian and Raparin,
The MPs discussed the incidents, in which several civilians and different political parties' offices' guards were killed and injured, and several parties' headquarters and government offices were burned.
At the request of Parliament's Presidency, a joint committee was formed together with the Social Affairs and Protection of Human Rights Committee, to visit Slemani governorate and investigate the incidents.
On a different subject, the committee asked Parliament's Presidency to invite the KRG Interior Minister Raber Ahmad to the committee to discuss possible solutions to problems related to the Interior Ministry.
The MPs decided to meet with all of the administrations of Kurdistan Region's prisons next week.
Integrity Committee
14 December- The committee, led by the vice-chair Said Harki (KDP), held their regular meeting.
The meeting discussed the legal period of tenure of the Head of the Kurdistan Integrity Commission, which the members of the committee think has expired.
The committee proposed that the law on the Integrity Commission be amended and to this end to hold a meeting with Parliament's presidency soon to discuss the legal tenure of the post and the provisions in the law.
All of the notes and requests sent to the committee were read and answered in detail.