Committees' recent meetings - 26 January 2021
A summary of Kurdistan Parliament’s committees’ recent meetings and activities:
Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research Committee
24 January - Members of a subcommittee, led by Dr. Galawesh Obeid Osman (KDP), visited Erbil Polytechnic University and met with the president, Dr. Kawa Sherwani.
The MPs looked into the problems in the university’s colleges and departments, shortages of some equipment and internal resources, the system of paying parallel studies’ fees (for private students) in three installments, dormitories for students in Koya Technical Institute’s and Taq Taq’s nursing and disease analysis departments.
Dr. Kawa Sherwani promised to increase their efforts to solve the problems and to coordinate more closely with the Parliament committee.
Endowments and Religious Affairs Committee
24 January - The committee, led by the vice-chair Mala Ihsan Rekani (KDP), were accompanied by two non-member MPs, Himdad Sabah, the head of Turkmen Front block, and Janan Jabar Boya, National Union Coalition (Christian) on a visit to Soran district.
The committee met with the Mayor of Soran, the branch office of the Kurdistan Islamic Scholars Union, the directorates of police and of endowments, and the Choman and Mergasor directorate of endowments and oversight.
In their meetings, the MPs and officials discussed the current situation in Kurdistan Region, the impact that religious scholars have in raising community awareness of diverse issues, the importance of the Board on Friday sermons, protecting the sanctity of mosques by preventing them from being used to oppose national security and foment political conflict, and adhering to the guidelines on religious discourse set by the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs so that it serves communities and raises their awareness..
The committee received several requests and suggestions on how to strengthen inter-religious harmony and tolerance even further in the district, focusing on cooperation among the religious institutions.
The delegation met with Diana Centre for Culture and Media, a Christian organization for the district, and discussed with the staff religious coexistence between Muslims and Christians. The district is an example of the inter-religious peace in Kurdistan. Spreading the message of forgiveness and coexistence were discussed.
The delegation visited the homes of several Muslim and Christian scholars, and commended them for promoting the culture of coexistence among the communities.
25 January - The Committee, led by chair Dr. Hawraman Gacheney (KIG), met with the High Committee of the Board of Friday sermons.
The committee said that the Board’s meeting with them is a good initiative and that future coordination is important.
The head of the Board discussed the importance of Friday sermons in influencing communities, being the largest gathering of the week. He stressed that Friday sermons often form public opinion in Kurdish society.
He gave the background to the Board, whose purpose is to oversee sermons and religious speeches, and was established by the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs as one of the recommendations of a conference in 2016 attended by 500 religious scholars and figures.
Peshmerga Committee
25 January - The committee, led by chair Reving Heruri (KDP), held their meeting.
The MPs decided to raise several important Peshmerga issues in the forthcoming Spring Session of Parliament which is due to begin on 1 March.
The committee discussed the Bill on the Right and Privileges of Peshmerga Veterans, which was discussed by Speaker Rewaz Faiq in her meeting recently with Peshmerga veterans organizations.
The committee decided to follow up on these issues with the relevant organisations and bodies.
All the notes and requests sent to the committee were read, and after review and discussion they were sent to the relevant authorities for action.
Municipalities, Transport, Communication, Travel and Tourism Committee
25 January - Members of the Committee, led by the chair Luqman Wardy (PUK), met with Ms. Amal Jalal, the Head of the Kurdistan Tourism Board, and the governorates’ general directors for tourism.
The MPs said that it is essential to increase income from tourism as one of the key ways to increase Kurdistan Region’s overall income, and to that end the committee is working on a bill (draft law) to regulate and develop the tourism sector. The committee has decided to arrange a workshop in mid-February 2021 to work further on the bill which they hope to direct to Parliament’s Presidency for reading at a sitting.
Ms. Jalal explained the challenges and obstacles to developing the tourism sector, and gave her support to passing a bill on tourism.
The committee and government officials held a joint press conference after their meeting.