Iraq’s Kurdistan Planning Minister Ali al-Sendi met with a delegation of the Japan International Cooperation Agency to explore possible areas of cooperation particularly in rehabilitating the war-torn nation’s agriculture infrastructure.
Meanwhile, minority groups in Iraq, including small ethnic and religious groups, pushed for equal rights and nondiscrimination, greater participation in government and greater self-governance during a dialogue with representatives of the Iraqi council. The dialogue, which was facilitated by the United States Institute of Peace, was also attended by civil society leaders. During the dialogue, participants called for legislation that would protect minorities from discrimination in schools and in work places and reform the national education curriculum to better reflect Iraq’s religious and ethnic diversity. Dialogue participants also recommended increased minority representation in the country’s Council of Representative and higher priority for measures that would allow minority groups to govern their own affairs.
