NELSON MANDELA HOSPITAL BUILT BY A KURD

Prof. Dilani : I am honoured to be a Kurd today more than ever. My professional work takes me around the world. I take 110 flights per year and meet many Health Ministers to discuss the health policies of their countries. I recently launched an international competition for a Hospital and Medical University in South Africa. It will be named after Nelson Mandela who has done so much for humanity. http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/motsoaledi-announces-ukzn-competition-1.1378402

Prof. Dilani: We shape the future of Kurdistan together!

2012-09-17 – ARARAT NEWS PUBLISHING   

The 2nd World Kurdish Congress (WKC) will be held in the capital of Kurdistan Region Erbil in October. The expectations for the congress are very high. Around 600 Kurdish and non-Kurdish scholars from all over the world will discuss health, education, economy, culture and political science in Kurdistan.

Prof. Dilani : Kurdish Diaspora is an important asset for the future of Kurdistan

Brussels, Ararat News-Publishing (ANP) – The 2nd World Kurdish Congress (WKC) will be held in the capital of Kurdistan Region Erbil in October. The expectations for the congress are very high. Ararat News-Publishing (ANP)  talk to Prof. Alan Dilani, one of the first initiators and “fathers” of the World Kurdish Congress about goals of WKC and the expectation for the 2nd Congress. Dilani, who is also from the organising committee, believes that around 600 Kurdish and non-Kurdish scholars from all over the world, including local Kurdish colleagues will gather to discuss health, education, economy, culture and political science in Kurdistan.

Roni Alasor : One year after the First World Kurdish Congress (WKC) in Rotterdam, what is your assessment of the achieved results at an individual and institutional level? What are your expectations for the Second WKC in the capital of Kurdistan Region Erbil?

Prof. Dilani : The First World Kurdish Congress clearly showed there is a huge Kurdish Intellectual Capital of men and women living and working in Diaspora. They can be organized and mobilized to support our nation and be a vital part of the process of national building. They can also help to mobilize and inform the world that Kurdistan is a country of almost 40 million people who have no national rights and were deprived of their most fundamental human rights in Turkey, Iran, Syria and in Iraq until the Kurdistan Regional Government was established.

The result of the First Congress will be soon materialized in a book entitled: Perspectives on Kurdistan’s Economy and Society in Transition, published by NOVA Science Publishers, USA.

The First World Kurdish Congress was held in October 2011 in Rotterdam in Holland. Its theme was to present widespread research in science and culture towards burgeoning progress in Kurdistan. The papers that were presented focused upon important aspects of health, education, economy, culture and political science in Kurdistan. The objective was to create a network of academicians who could exchange and develop their knowledge on further enhancing the progress within the Kurdish society. This soon-to-be published volume is a collection of 20 studies that were presented at last year’s Congress.

The presentation topics are diverse, covering several areas pertinent to the current Kurdish situation. The studies are divided into eight areas including: human rights and freedom, greater Kurdistan, education and nation building; diaspora, politics and international relations, corruption, health care and trauma, economy, business, science and technology. The Editors provided a compilation of recommendations that emerged from the Congress to the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Expectations for the 2nd World Kurdish Congress are high

My expectation for the 2nd World Kurdish Congress is that 600 Kurdish and non-Kurdish scholars from all over the world, including local colleagues, will gather to discuss science and the problems of our society during a 4-day event. All the participants will experience the culture and beauty of the city of Hawler.

Roni Alasor : Why are you holding the WKC in Federal Kurdistan Region this year?

Prof. Dilani : Our aim is to alternate the location of the WKC, holding the Congress one year in Kurdistan and the next outside Kurdistan. In this way we provide opportunities for different people to meet in Erbil and discuss concrete problems in partnership with the Kurdistan Regional Government. In doing so, we can all better understand and experience our nation and benefit from networking in Kurdistan!

Roni Alasor : Since the first WKC, have you successfully attracted more Kurds from other parts of Kurdistan? Do you have as priority among the participants the geographical balance between the four parts of Kurdistan – or is the selection based purely on scientific and professional criteria?

Prof. Dilani : We are hoping to have more delegates from all parts of Kurdistan. Our Scientific Committee does not take into consideration the background of the author. All papers have been evaluated anonymously, based on the scientific quality and priorities stated in our call for paper: the need to develop agriculture, health, education, infrastructure etc. in Kurdistan.

Roni Alasor : Prof. Dilani, you were among the first initiators and “fathers” of the World Kurdish Congress and you bring to it your professional experience in the health sector. How do you bring these two together?

Prof. Dilani : I am honoured to be a Kurd today more than ever. My professional work takes me around the world. I take 110 flights per year and meet many Health Ministers to discuss the health policies of their countries. I recently launched an international competition for a Hospital and Medical University in South Africa. It will be named after Nelson Mandela who has done so much for humanity. http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/motsoaledi-announces-ukzn-competition-1.1378402

I also feel it is my duty to serve my people and that is part of my own satisfaction. I am also proud of our Kurdistan Regional Government that they both understand and promote a technocrat government based on knowledge for the progress of the country. We are in the process of nation building and must better prepare ourselves, scientifically speaking. One of our tasks is to convince international opinion that we are a progressive society and that we will no longer accept the negation of our basic rights.

We condemn all kinds of aggression to our people. We want to solve our problems with those countries that occupy Kurdistan through a peaceful process and respect for international law and human rights. We do not want to spend our resources in wars nor destroy our natural resources.

Roni Alasor : Do you think that KRG should establish some structures at an institutional level to develop further the WKC? Or do you see WKC more as an independent network which will cooperate with the government but have its own non-governmental stature?

Prof. Dilani : That is exactly our vision –to establish an organized institution that can monitor and evaluate projects to be implemented in Kurdistan. We also want to create a mechanism that can serve as a link between the outside and inside, and facilitate the return of Kurdish scholars so they come back to serve our nation! We need to be more organized – and through publications show the progress of science in our nation. We want to give solid evidence and establish a dialogue with the world to garner the progress that is being made, while learning from our past mistakes so they are not repeated. We cannot reverse the mistakes of our past unless we learn from them. We cannot do a lot about the current situation if we do not pay attention to our past experiences. One thing is sure: we can shape the future with the promise of prosperity justice and peace for our children so future generations have a better quality of life and do not suffer as their parents have.

Roni Alasor : Bearing in mind that the WKC is developed by people who work on a voluntary basis and commit their free time for the organisation of the Congress, do you feel their efforts will sustain the Congress in the future? Or are you planning to have some professionals employed specially for the needs of WKC?

Prof. Dilani : Yes, this is in one matter on our agenda. We can only be successful if professional people working with us can spend more of their time on the WKC. We are hopeful that we establish a budget that would win the support of professionals to do just that. The only way forward for our nation is progress and prosperity. We are planning the next WKC in Stockholm for 2013. We hope to invite both Kurdish and non-Kurdish scientists and academics to discuss our future. This future belongs to the people who are suffering and wish for a better tomorrow without violence, injustice and the dictatorships that reign in the Middle East.

Roni Alasor : This year the WKC will focus upon improvement of the quality of life in Kurdistan – more specifically the health sector. Public health is your professional area. What do you think about the current state of health policies in Kurdistan? How can scientists improve it? Do you think that politicians are open enough to listen to the scientists?

Prof. Dilani : The state of health in Kurdistan is not better than that of other people in the region. People are highly affected by their current lifestyle and non-communicable diseases that come with modern life. This is a high priority and we must bring awareness within the country so we can reduce these diseases and implement a higher quality and priority upon real treatment.

The status of health for people living in Kurdistan is low, with falling life expectancies, and rising mortality and morbidity rates. At the same time, Kurdistan faces the challenge of reshaping its healthcare system due to a rise in the level of lifestyle diseases, most notably non-communicable illnesses like diabetes and obesity. These are common problems in Kurdistan as they are in other parts of the world today.

In addition, Kurdistan needs to address the inequities in the health of its poorer socio-economic groups, particularly those living in more remote and rural areas, as well as those moving to urban neighborhoods. By acknowledging that a healthy population is the foundation for social development and economic growth, Kurdistan’s healthcare is undergoing the following policy shift. Officials now recognize the need to redesign the health system so it embraces health promotion, with a preventative approach that is based upon better education, as well as evidence and research that prevent disease and promote better health.

A ‘Salutogenic approach’ to infrastructure development that is embedded at the core of a preventative health strategy is completely relevant to Kurdistan. Most importantly, it changes the overview to a more holistic understanding of the importance of a healthy environment. Our people need this change in order to embrace a cultural shift that will lead to healthier lives and more productive activity.

Roni Alasor : The organisation of the Second WKC is a huge event which requires serious funding. Regarding the budget of WKC for this year is it financed only by KRG or there are also private donators?

Prof. Alan Dilani visit President Massoud Barzani in Federal Kurdistan for his support to WKC2012.

Prof. Dilani : The entire budget comes from the KRG. We are extremely grateful for their support. Otherwise we are unable to bring so many Kurdish and non-Kurdish scholars to Kurdistan. This year the budget is controlled by the KRG’s local team who are completely supporting the organization of the WKC2012.

Roni Alasor : Prof. Dilani, the World Kurdish Congress started initially as an individual initiative and received progressively the support of the Kurdistan Regional Government. One year later, we can see the progressive institutionalisation of your idea, especially now, when the Congress will take place in Hawler and will be opened by President Massoud Barzani. How do you see the future of WKC?

Prof. Dilani : I am working very hard to establish an institution recognized nationally and internationally by our Kurdish scholars in diaspora to support the Kurdistan Regional Government to disseminate diverse projects and advise and support the government. We can only be successful if we create international support for nation building which includes the following criteria: respect and inclusion of all minorities, respect for the rule of law, good governance, transparency and accountability with responsibility. Kurdish people desire, like many other nations in the region, to have the right to legitimate self-determination. Kurds want to live in harmony and peace with our neighbours. And we can facilitate this process with the support of our Kurdish and non-Kurdish scholars. That is why we have created the World Kurdish Congress.

Prof. Alan Dilani, Ph.D., Architect/ Public Health, Stockholm-Sweden. Professor Dilani is a founder and General Director of the International Academy for Design and Health. He is co-founder of the journal, World Health Design, www.worldhealthdesign.com

Editor : Lorin Sarkisian / ANP