Committees' recent meetings - 19 October 2020
Legislative Committee
18 October 2020 - The committee, led by Bizhar Kochar (KDP), held their usual meeting.
Ten legislative proposals submitted to Parliament’s Presidency by the required minimum number of MPs were discussed.
The committee also assessed the Finance and Economic Affairs Committee's report on the Bill on the Sale and Lease of Public Assets. The committee corrected and redrafted articles and sections of the bill to prevent contradiction with the Constitution and labour laws.
The committee decided to brief Parliament’s Presidency of the outcomes of the meeting.
Martyrs’ Affairs, Genocide and Political Prisoners Committee
19 October – The committee, led by the chair Sawsan Muhammad Mirkhan (KDP), met with Ayad Kakayi, the head of the Erbil branch of the Kurdistan Lawyers Syndicate, and Taymur Abdullah, the sole known survivor of an Anfal grave. They discussed how to overcome the obstacles to returning the remains of Anfal victims from mass graves.
The focus of the meeting was the problems and challenges in the process of exhuming the remains of Anfal victims from mass graves in Iraq, and returning them for final burial at home in Kurdistan.The committee pledged to work to solve the obstacles to this process.
In the 1980s, Kurdish civilians were deported and killed by Iraq’s former Ba’ath government in the regime’s genocidal campaign called the Anfal, with many shot and buried in mass graves in central and southern Iraq. The victims’ families and politicians have called for their remains to be brought home for proper burials to bring closure for the families.
Peshmerga Committee
17 October - The Peshmerga Affairs Committee issued the following statement regarding today's incident and developments over the past few days:
We, all MPs from all parties in Kurdistan Parliament’s Peshmerga Affairs Committee, call for an end to the media’s incitement that we have witnessed in the past few days, the burning of the hallowed flag of Kurdistan and the attack on the headquarters of the fifth branch of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Baghdad. This chauvinist mentality continues to attack and insult the symbol of our nation that we hold most dear.
The PUK and KDP, in cooperation with other Kurdish parties, govern this country, and thousands of their followers made the ultimate sacrifice for Kurdistan. Peshmerga soldiers of both and other parties have protected Kurdistan since the liberation of Iraq, especially in the war against ISIS terrorists.
Our nation is going through very challenging times. We are in an economic crisis, and the Coronavirus pandemic poses a major threat to our people. We call on all sides to consider the interests of our people and the challenges facing the Kurdistan Region. The Peshmerga and the people of Kurdistan will look to all sides to protect Kurdistan as a constitutional entity, and to consider the dire situation in the Kurdistani areas outside the KRG administration, the danger of the resurgence of ISIS, and regional threats. All have a responsibility to protect the people of Kurdistan and our nation.
13 October - The committee, led by the vice-chair Osman Sideri (Siwara, PUK) met with the Reform Directorate of the Peshmerga Affairs Ministry, to follow up and scrutinize the implementation of the Reform Bill and discuss other issues.
The MPs and directorate staff discussed all the meetings that the Reform Directorate has held with the Global Coalition’s military advisers on reforms.
They reviewed plans to unify and equalize Peshmerga forces' working hours, eliminate illegal staff, review the Peshmerga Ministry's laws and regulations, and electronise salary payments from the ministry.
The meetings also discussed several projects: gender equality in the Peshmerga forces, a weapons system in the brigades, the separation of the capabilities of various forces and weapons, a delivery system, class officers, the ministry's medical strategy and a logistics project.
The strategy on cooperation between the Peshmerga Ministry and Iraq’s Ministry of Defence, and the Peshmerga forces’ ideas and suggestions on this were discussed.
The ministry’s Reform Directorate talked about their wish to establish a language centre for the Peshmerga, and mentioned courses in Germany and Britain to train officers specializing in reform.
Finance and Economic Affairs Committee
13 October – The committee, led by the chair Ziyad Jabbar (PUK), met with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Finance Minister Awat Sheikh Janab, and Minister for the Region for Parliament Affairs Dr. Vala Fareed, to discuss government employees’ salaries and the KRG’s talks with Baghdad on Kurdistan’s financial rights.
Minister Sheikh Janab clarified some information for the committee on these points.
The committee and the ministers also discussed the state of the Kurdistan Region and the public’s livelihoods and welfare.
Minister Sheikh Janab told the committee that three months of salaries that had not been paid by the previous eighth KRG cabinet were paid by the ninth cabinet, which assumed office in July 2019 after the September 2018 elections. The ninth cabinet paid them as a duty and responsibility towards the public.
The Finance Minister also told the committee that government departments and the public should adapt to the new system of distributing salaries.
Committee on Kurdistani Areas outside KRG Administrative Area
13 October - The committee, led by the chair Jiwan Rojbayani (KDP), held their regular meeting.
The committee is working on a book entitled Kurdistan Region between History and Geography, together with Parliament’s Research Centre. All the MPs gave their final input and comments on the draft, so that it can have a last edit before publication in the near future.
The committee went through all of the reports and notes sent by the public and decided to submit some of them to Parliament’s Presidency for further follow-up and work.
Relations and Kurdish Diaspora Committee
13 October - The committee, led by the chair Dr. Rebwar Babkayi (KDP), held their regular meeting.
The MPs discussed the problem of youth migration abroad, and have prepared a report to discuss the issue with the other relevant Parliament committees.
The committee decided to invite the French Consul General to Parliament, to thank France for putting Kurdish history into France’s national high school curriculum’s history and geography textbook.
Committee on Energy, Natural Resources, Commerce and Industry
13 October - The committee, led by the vice-chair Gulizar Rashid Sindi (KDP) meet to discuss the privatization of national electricity and the implementation of smart metering.
The meeting discussed the impact of privatizing the electricity sector. The MPs debated the benefits of changing the system, which would increase revenue from business customers, reduce the cost of electricity by 44 percent and increase revenues without the need to increase the price of electricity for the public.
The committee decided to meet with the KRG’s Minister of Electricity next week for clarification on the government’s changes to the electricity sector.
Social Affairs and Protection of Human Rights Committee
13 October - The Committee met with the Institute for International Law and Human Rights (IILHR), a legal consultancy, to review the legal rights and privileges of people with disabilities and special needs in the Kurdistan Region. They focused on articles pertaining to people with disabilities and how to amend legislation.
The MPs and IILHR decided to hold a workshop to discuss potential amendments to the Law on the Rights and Privileges of people with disabilities.
Endowments and Religious Affairs Committee
13 October – The committee, led by the vice-chair Mala Ihsan Rekani (KDP), visited the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs to congratulate and meet with the new Deputy Minister Zandin Mawloud Khezr.
The MPs said that they will support Deputy Minister Zandin and the ministry in their work through monitoring, scrutiny and cooperation, to support the work of religious studies teachers and endowment employees, and to maintain Kurdistan’s successful peaceful coexistence among communities of different religions.
The new Deputy Minister Zandin Mawloud thanked the committee and pledged to win the confidence of all parties by being impartial in carrying out his duties.
Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research Committee
12 October - The committee, led by the chair Abdusalam Dolamari (KDP), held their regular meeting.
The meeting focused on the start of the academic year and the MPs emphasized that schools, higher education and study centres should implement proper protective measures instructions and that the education process be well managed.
They MPs discussed the problems of recognizing certificates from certain institutions, the American Stratford University getting a government licence, and Masters students’ exams and grades at Soran University. They also discussed reducing tuition fees and other higher education and education issues.
All the reports, notes and requests sent to the committee were directed to the relevant authorities for resolution.
Health, Environment and Consumer Rights Committee
12 October - To discuss the health and dangerous situation in Kurdistan Region, the Committee on Health, Environment and Consumer Rights, led by chair Dr. Sabah Zebari, held a meeting.
Environmental problems in Kurdistan Region was discussed, including the reports on the environment by the subcommittee that visited Slemani governorate and Soran district. The committee decided to send a report through Parliament’s Presidency to the KRG Council of Ministers, to look into and solve the problems.
The committee decided to form several subcommittees to visit Slemani, Halabja and Zakho to look into the health situation in those areas.
All the reports, notes and requests sent to the committee received a reply or were directed to the relevant authorities for resolution.