Parliament and National Democratic Institute publish research and guides to parliamentary work

Kurdistan Parliament’s Presidency led by Speaker Dr. Rewaz Faiq on 18 October 2022 attended the launch of three research books published by Parliament, and three guides to parliamentary work published by the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

Deputy Speaker Dr. Hemin Hawrami and Secretary Muna Kahveci participated in the launch, alongside the Speaker.

The Head of Parliament’s Research Center Mr. Fuad Ahmed, said that this is the first time that the NDI has published in the Kurdish language, alongside the other 50 languages in which it has issued publications.

The three research publications, by Kurdistan Parliament advisers Dr. Osman Ali, Hiwa Hamid and Majid Salih, are on points of procedure in parliamentary work, the right to access information in Kurdistan Region, and regulating the law on the position of the President of Kurdistan Region.

The three guides published in Kurdish by the NDI are on: implementing special legislative programs; legislative analysis and how to read bills through critical analysis; and legislative assemblies' committees and their division of labour.

Speaker Faiq thanked Parliament’s Research Centre, the NDI, the researchers and advisers who wrote and published the works. The Speaker said that she is very pleased to see the Kurdistan Parliament both contributing to and being a subject of international research. She hoped that more guides can be published in future to highlight the areas that Parliament needs to focus on to succeed in its work.

"We in the Presidency of Parliament rely on advisers’ expertise, which may not be the case in any other institution, and likewise for all our staff in different fields," the Speaker said.

She pointed out that Parliament’s advisers have assisted the presidency, committees and parties in Parliament.

On the Right to Access Information Law, Speaker Faiq said that from the day that the law was enacted Parliament’s media directorate created an online data request contact point but that unfortunately so far no one has asked for information, in other words the public in whose interests the law was passed have not benefited from the law.

Mr. Steve Driehaus, NDI’s Director in Iraq, thanked everyone involved and said that the NDI has published and presented a great deal of research and guides around the world, and its work is to support legislative institutions.

Mr. Driehaus added that the Kurdistan Parliament is the only Kurdish-speaking parliament in the world, which is very important.