2nd KURDISH SCIENCE CONGRESS 2012

Barzani : We have to trust ourselves to build our future

Roni Alasor, Ararat News-Publishing (ANP), 12 October 2012 – Erbil-Kurdistan – Speaking on the Second World Kurdish Congress (WKC) to more than 600 participants and guests, President Massoud Barzani said that “Kurdistan relies on all of us today. We, Kurds have to trust ourselves and to build our own future”.

The Second World Kurdish Congress (WKC), financed by Kurdistan Regional Government, started today in the Kurdish capital Erbil, Federal Kurdistan. Over 600 Kurdish and non-Kurdish scientists, experts, academics, policy makers, researchers and practitioners from four continents were welcomed by the Minister of Foreign Relation Falah Mustafa, Prof. Alan Dilani and Dr. Carol Prunhuber from the Organizing Committee. Foreign diplomatic representatives in Kurdistan also attended the event with high interest. The Congress was officially opened with the Kurdish national anthem Ey Reqip. The aim of congress is to bring together Kurdish and non-Kurdish scientists, experts in different fields, academics, policy makers, researchers and practitioners from the Kurdish diasporas to Kurdistan, to exchange ideas with the Kurdish local colleagues how to develop the Federal Kurdistan. In the opening of the Kurdish Congress, President Massoud Barzani said: “I am happy to see so many Kurdish scientists and experts in different files. But it’s also a big richness to see so many Kurdish friends from different part of the world and from neighboring countries”.

The Kurdish President underlined that: “We achieved a free Kurdistan and so much positive developments in the last 10-15 years as a result of our long fighting and sufferings and many hundreds of thousands martyrs. Now Kurdistan Region needs an expertise from all fields to develop and insure the future of Kurdistan. Kurdistan entrusted to all of us today. We have to trust ourselves and to build our own future. We have to build a strong infrastructure. We need you, we need science and we need your critical voice. I wish many successes to the congress”.

Regarding the suffering Kurds from other part of Kurdistan, President Barzani said that “Today we have also to use other methods than military struggle to gain our fundamental rights”.  Minister Falah underlined that Kurdistan Regional Government is looking forward to cooperate closer with WKC in the near future for bigger projects: “This is just a beginning. We need your constructive critics”, said Minister Falah. The sessions hold today were organised in three main topics: “Science and Health Care Treatment”, “Science of Preventive Health and its Promotion” and “Challenges of the Kurdish Diaspora and Migration”.

The first session was animated by prominent medicine specialists and researchers: Dr Rang Noory Shawis (Kurdistan/UK), Prof. Nawzad Saleh PhD (Sweden), Seddigh Zarza (Austria), PhD Kadir Hassan (UK), PhD Alan Fotoohi (Sweden), PhD Adiba Isa (Danemark).

They underlined the necessity for revision of Kurdistan health service and introduction of planned health provision reform, which will make the health system accessible to the entire population. The collaboration between policy makers and scientists is essential for the development of high quality health institutions and the prevention of risk diseases.

In the second session on “Preventive Health and its Promotion” participated Mariwan Baker (Denmark), Deiary Fraidoon Kader (UK), Jamal Maroof (Kurdistan / UK), Rizgar Barzani (UK), Koestan Gadan (Norway), Nabi Fatahi (Sweden).

The last session was dedicated to “Challenges of the Kurdish Diaspora and Migration”. Among the speakers were Khalid Khayati (Sweden), Hossein Aghapouri (New Zealand), Barzoo Eliassi (Sweden), Fatima Anamaghi (Denmark), Ahmet Hamdi Akkaya (Belgium).

During the next days, discussions on health, but also agriculture, education, history and economy will continue. The previous World Kurdish Congress was held last year in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The speeches and the articles of the participants were published in a special volume by NOVA Science Publishers.

http://www.araratnews.eu/nuce.php?aid=617