Committees' recent meetings - 6 February 2022
A summary of Kurdistan Parliament's committees' recent work and meetings:
Finance and Economic Affairs Committee
24 January - The committee discussed a letter received from the Kurdistan Teachers' Union's on retirement and pensions and on raising teachers' employment grades.
The committee decided the following:
- to prepare recommendations on the distribution of pensions.
- to prepare the insurance administration bill and discuss it in the future, and to meet with the director general of taxation to discuss regulating and deciding taxes fairly in the Kurdistan Region.
- on the issues of accumulated debt and new construction and infrastructure projects, the committee decided to meet with regional general contractors and representatives from the governorates in the future.
- to meet with customs administrators to monitor and investigate public revenues and the customs borders.
- to send a letter to the KRG Council of Ministers to follow up on the financial audit board's report on Kurdistan Region's revenues and to ask the KRG to send a budget bill.
The committee read and responded to letters from the public or submitted them to Parliament’s Presidency to raise them with the relevant authorities.
31 January – The committee met with Dr. Kamal Warty, the KRG general director of taxation. They discussed the amount of tax revenue, the increase in taxes and the issue of large taxpayers. They raised with Dr. Warty the complaints about tax increases.
The committee decided to write to the KRG Council of Ministers to amend Law No. 26 of 1962, the Law on Exemption of Vacant Land from Taxation.
1 February – The committee met with the contractors unions of all of Kurdistan’s governorates.
The contractors unions said that the government has debts with their members and owes them for several years since the crisis of 2014.
The committee said that they will try to help find solutions to the contractors unions’ problems.
Culture, Civil Society, Sports and Youth Committee
24 January – The committee met with Niyaz Nouri, head of the Kurdistan Artists Syndicate, who asked for a pension fund to be established by law in order to support Kurdistan’s artists and promote work in the arts. The committee supported their suggestion.
2 February – The committee met with a press freedom and rights NGO, Reporters for Rights and Development, who presented their first report on violations against journalists in Kurdistan Region. The report records violations against journalists and media outlets, such as torture and arrests. The NGO asked the committee to help to stop such abuses.
The committee emphasized that freedom of expression and media freedom are basic attributes of advanced nations and that the committee is working with all sides to try to improve the situation for journalists.
The committee also said that journalists must work professionally and responsibly.
2 February - Under the supervision of Speaker Dr. Rewaz Faiq, the committee met to discuss their request for special guidelines to be issued on Parliament’s Resolution No. 5 of 2013, on implementing the provisions of the Agreement on Solidarity and Development between the general authorities and NGOs in the Kurdistan Region.
Speaker Faiq said that Parliament’s Presidency are discussing the need to issue the guidelines with the relevant authorities and the KRG Council of Ministers and will do whatever is needed to get the 2013 Parliament resolution is implemented.
The meetings also discussed the problems facing civil society organizations and the challenges facing young people.
Interior, Security and Local Councils Committee
24 January – The committee discussed the legislative proposal on the application and amendments to the Law on Civil Aviation in Kurdistan Region – Iraq (Law No. 18 of 2008), in order to prepare their final report on the bill and send it to the Legislative Committee for their input, so that it can be scheduled for a second reading at a sitting.
The MPs also discussed the Interior Ministry’s guidelines for accepting employees for officer training courses.
The committee read all the requests and complaints sent by the public and responded or directed them to Parliament’s Presidency for further work, and set up a sub-committee to look further into some of the issues.
Integrity Committee
24 January – The committee discussed further cooperation and follow-up reports from the Kurdistan Region Board of Financial Audit, particularly on the issue of the funds allocated to tackle the Coronavirus pandemic.
Other matters regarding the financial situation, corruption and waste and misuse of public wealth were also discussed.
The committee read and responded to the letters sent by the public.
Social Affairs and Protection of Human Rights Committee
23 January - Members of the committee visited the women's and youth prison in Duhok governorate and met with the director, guards and staff. They discussed the problems facing the inmates and the prison administration and staff.
The MPs met with the inmates to listen to their demands and problems and help find solutions.
The committee also met with the Directorate for Combating Violence Against Women and the Nawa women’s shelter to talk to the women about their problems and needs.
Endowments and Religious Affairs Committee
24 January – The committee read all the requests and complaints sent by the public and responded or directed them to Parliament’s Presidency to raise with the relevant authorities.
The committee also discussed the land problems of mosques in Akre district and decided to investigate the matter.
The committee decided to discuss further with the KRG Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research requests from some Masters and doctoral students od the Department of Islamic Sciences.
Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research Committee
24 January – The committee met with sociologists and community researchers to hear their views on the Education Bill.
The sociologists discussed the importance of community researchers in schools, as well as the problems the researchers face, the way they deal with students and help them socially and psychologically.
The researchers expresse their views on the education system and the Education Bill, and submitted their proposals and requests to the committee.
The MPs pledged to consider their demands in the process of working on the bill.
31 January – The committee met with two civil society organizations that include experienced teachers and graduates from universities and institutes, who had several comments and suggestions on the education system in the Kurdistan Region and had sent a memorandum to the committee.
The committee members exchanged views on the articles and sections of the Education Bill in order to prepare their report on it and send it to Parliament’s presidency, so that it can be scheduled for its second reading at a sitting.
Peshmerga Committee
25 January - After the committee had look into the legal problems facing Peshmerga with disabiliites and the contracts of the Peshmerga Ministry, they visited the Ministry and met with Lieutenant General Jabbar Yawar, the Ministry’s Secretary-General,with the general manager for retirement and the director of contracts.
They discussed the current state of the forces, the steps towards reform, unifying and incorporating all forces into the Ministry of Peshmerga, achieving coordination between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army, and the role of the international coalition in these relations.
The welfare and livelihoods of the Peshmerga were discussed, as well as the measures taken by the KRG to better provide for the needs of the Peshmerga at their posts and eliminate the shortcomings.
The committee then met with the Ministry's directorates to discuss the cases of martyred Peshmerga, and Peshmerga with disabilities.
The pensions, contracts and legal directors answered the committee's questions.
Martyrs, Political Prisoners and Genocide Committee
25 January – The committee met to prepare for a Parliament workshop on achieving greater international recognition and raising awareness of the genocide against the Kurds. The workshop is to be held later in the same week, together with Parliament’s research center and several of Kurdistan’s university genocide research centers.
Agriculture and Immigration Committee
25 January – The committee replied to the letters sent by the public. The MPs decided to meet with the KRG Agriculture and Irrigation Minister to look into the ‘Delp-zhain project’ problem.
Regarding the agricultural problems in Daratu district, the committee met with Saryas Awni Naqib, a local farmer in the area, and decided to investigate the issue further through a subcommittee.
The MPs discussed the Bill on Protection and Management of Water Resources in the Kurdistan Region, which is scheduled to be finalized by the committee and sent to the Presidency of Parliament.
Relations and Kurdish Diaspora Committee
25 January – The committee visited Greece’s Consulate General and met with the Consul General, Dr. Stavros Kyrimis.
The committee called on Greece to make every effort to find the bodies of Kurdish migrants who drowned in the Aegean Sea and to repatriate them for dignified burial in Kurdistan by their families.
The MPs asked that efforts be intensified and expressed their readiness for all assistance.
Consul General Kyrimis pledged to convey the request to his government.
The chair of the committee Dr. Rebwar Babkayi presented the results of the committee’s meeting with Greece’s Consul General at a press conference.
2 February – The committee discussed the Kurdistan Region students who have plans to study in Egypt and are facing visa problems, and decided to investigate the issue further.
The MPs also discussed people smuggling businesses that misled young people about migration to take large payments from them, which the committee have been looking into for some time. They decided to meet with the KRG Interior Ministry to continue looking into the issue.
Committee on Kurdistani Areas Outside KRG Administrative Area
1 February – The committee read several reports, including one from the KRG’s Board on the Kurdistani Areas Outside the KRG Administrative Area.
The committee decided to write to the KRG Council of Ministers calling on it to send a negotiating team to Baghdad once the new Iraqi Government is formed, so that the issue of those areas becomes a key point on the new government’s agenda to pave the way for implementing Article 140 of the Constitution.
The MPs also discussed the problems in and around Makhmur and decided to visit to investigate further.
2 February – Members of the committee visited Makhmur’s authorities and met with the mayor and district managers to discuss the area’s problems.
They also met with Makhmur education directorate, mukhtars and farmers and noted their demands. The committee then visited the leaders of Makhmur Brigade and met with officers from the Peshmerga joint room and the Iraqi army, and went to the Peshmerga posts to follow up on the conditions for the forces there.