Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq - (KRG.org) – The 2nd World Kurdish Congress in concludes in Eribl today after four days of presentations and discussions about applying the experiences and knowledge of experts from the Kurdish Diaspora and the international community to the Kurdistan Region.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)-funded event, which attracted hundreds participants, provided a platform for academics and practitioners to present their ideas in the fields of agriculture, business, the economy, higher education, health, technology and good governance.

President Masoud Barzani delivered the opening speech at the event, and said that it was important to work together for the betterment of the region. “We hope that with your knowledge and expertise, and in partnership with our authorities, you can apply your experiences to eliminate the shortcomings in Kurdistan,” he said.

The event was attended by officials from various KRG ministries and authorities, diplomatic representations based in Erbil, academics from the region’s various universities, and NGO representatives.

Delivering a speech on behalf of Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani on the thirdday of the congress, the Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr Ali Saeed, encouraged the participants to play an active role in the opportunities available. “We cannot do this alone, and this is why we have given such broad-based support for this congress. This is an excellent opportunity for us to explore how we can all learn and benefit from each other in order to move forward."

“You can help to form partnerships in the industries and institutions where you work in order to expand our local capacity and build bridges for our people,” Dr Saeed added.

This is the second congress following last year’s event in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. This year’s event was organised in coordination with the KRG Department of Foreign Relations.

Minister Falah Mustafa, Head of of the KRG's Department of Foreign Relations, was a keynote speaker and part of the organising committee. Commenting on the conclusion of the congress, he said, “This is another important initiative by the KRG to support the involvement of the Kurdish diaspora in our ongoing efforts, and it will serve as a good indicator of the knowhow that is available to us abroad – their experience is of importance to our government, and we look forward to exploring some of the proposals presented in this congress to further build upon our success.”

The presentations were reviewed by various committees bringing together individuals from ministries, universities and NGOs.

Today, several KRG ministers attended the congress to discuss challenges and present their individual plans for the future. The officials included the Minister of Natural Resources, Dr Ashti Hawrami; Minister of Health, Dr Rekawt Hama Rasheed; Minister of Education, Dr Asmat Muhamad Khalid; Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr Ali Saeed; and the Minister of Planning, Dr Ali Sindi.