Universities Forum – Erbil 2019
To Strengthen Universities’ Participation in Public Life.
Key Objectives
- Promote student participation and leadership in campus life.
- Connect universities with policymaking and civic initiatives.
- Present the draft Student Council Election Law.
The event opened with welcoming remarks from Mr. Bilal Faris Ahmed, Executive Director of CZO, who highlighted the importance of strengthening student representation and civic participation in higher education. The opening included a keynote from the Ministry of Higher Education representative and a presentation of the draft Student Council Election Law by Mr. Saman Rashad. The session concluded with the launch of an infographic video outlining CZO’s Student Council Model.
Empowering Leadership Inside Universities
Focus on women’s leadership, student empowerment, and critical thinking as drivers of reform.
- Dr. Chnar Saad Abdullah — Dean, College of Law and Politics, Salahaddin University.
- Ms. Vian Zamdar — Lecturer, College of Administration and Economics, University of Sulaimaniyah.
- Mr. Kamaran Mohammed Palani — Researcher and Lecturer, Charmo University.
Strengthening the Role of Universities in Public Life
Discussion on governance, human rights, and NGO–university partnerships to enhance the public role of academia.
- Dr. Krmanj Othman — Lecturer and Researcher, University of Human Development.
- Dr. Sarwar Abdurrahman — Former MP and President, Pay Institute.
Participants formed five discussion groups to exchange perspectives and generate actionable recommendations. The discussions covered:
- Governance & Leadership
- Student Representation and Council Elections
- Critical Thinking & Research Culture
- Professional Development & Employability
- Gender Equality & Women’s Representation
Each group produced findings that will feed into CZO’s broader Universities Forum series and inform future policy recommendations.
The event received extensive national and local media coverage:
- K24 (live)
- Kurdsat News
- Zagros Arabi (live)
- Kurdistan TV (live)
- Payam TV
- Gli Kurdistan
- Roj News
- Nawa Radio
- Dwarozh Radio
- Salahaddin University
- Hawler Medical University
- Erbil Polytechnic University
- Soran University
- Bayan University
- Knowledge University
- Cihan University
- Lebanese French University
Key Takeaways
- Support for institutionalizing student councils and campus democracy.
- Strengthened collaboration between universities and civic organizations.
- Commitment to promoting gender equality and critical thinking in academia.
Next Steps
- Ongoing advocacy for student representation policy reform.
- Follow-up dialogues with university leadership and student bodies.
- Integration of recommendations into CZO’s Universities Forum 2020.
