KRG Delegation participates in the PSVI ministerial conference in London
News : 11/28/2022
KRG delegation consist of Dr.Dindar Zebari, KRG’s Coordinator for
International Advocacy, accompanied by Khanzad Ahmad, the Head of the High
Council for Women's Development, and staff from the Office of the Coordinator
for International Advocacy (OCIA) and KRG Representation in the UK, attended
the International Conference on the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict
Initiative (PSVI) in London.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) delegation received an official
invitation from the British Foreign Secretary and the British Prime Minister's
Special Representative for the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict to
attend the conference. Foreign ministers, policymakers, and civil society
representatives are involved in the conference to exchange views, address the
challenges and find solutions.”
The conference was a good opportunity to convey a clear picture of the
heinous crimes committed against the Yazidis and other communities in the
Kurdistan Region and Iraq to the international community and the NGOs.
On the side-lines of the conference, the KRG delegation met with Fiona
Bruce, MP and Prime Minister's Envoy for Freedom of Religious Beliefs, Alicia
Herbert, the Prime Minister's Envoy for Gender, and Yasmin Ahmed, Head of Human
Rights Watch's UK Office, in addition to having short exchanges with the UK
Foreign Secretary Mr. James Cleverley and Lord Ahmed, the Prime Minister's
Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict.
The KRG delegation shed lights on the KRG’s unrelenting policies to
rescue the Yezidis who are in ISIS’s captivity. As of August 2022, the number
of abductees was 6,417, including females 3548. Male 2869. The Numbers of
female and male survivors from the grip of ISIL is 3,562: 1,207 females, 339
males, and 1059 male children. Furthermore, 2,234 victims have received
psychical and psychological support.
In the last day of the
conference, more than 50 countries and the UN have agreed urgent action to end
sexual violence in conflict, by signing up to a new declaration at a UK-hosted summit this week.
The countries agreed to take
action to address triggers such as gender inequality, remove the stigma faced
by victims, and make sure national laws are in place to prosecute perpetrators.
The KRG delegation also visited the
KRG UK Representation and was received by Karwan Jamal Taher KRG High
Representative to the UK. Both sides discussed the importance of such conferences
and the future cooperation in order to deliver Kurdistan Region’s views on
these issues and gain more support to prevent sexual violence and bring
perpetrators to justice.
London
28-30/11/2022
