Kurdish-Turkish ties stronger than ever - Kurdish Globe

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The Kurdish Globe No. 349, Monday, April 23, 2012 10Yezidis celebrate New YearRed Wednesday,the first Wednesdayof April accordingto the Yezidi calendidar, is celebratedby 100,000 Yezidisin Kurdistan, morethan half a millilion in Iraq andmore than 1 millionworldwide.Thousands of Yezidis gathered in their main temple in Lalishto celebrate their New Year on April 18thPRESS PHOTOThe day before New Year,young Yezidi boys andgirls collect red flowersfrom the mountains andhang them on the doors oftheir homes. They painteggs in vibrant colors anddistribute them as a symbubol of existence--Yezidisbelieve that their NewYear marks the beginnuning of the existence ofhumanity. At New Year,Yezidis commonly bakespecial bread to distributeto neighbors and familulies.The Director General ofYezidi Issues in the Kurdiuistan Regional Governmument’s Ministry of Endudowment and ReligiousAffairs, Khairi Bozani,explains that in cooperatution with the council ofthe Yezidi holy men, theyYezidi Kurds celebrate their New Year in Lalish, Duhok Province.have requested that fourof their religious days berecognized. Their NewYear was approved as anofficial holiday this year,which marks the secondyear Yezidis celebratethis day in peace.Khairi says they are alsotrying get their holidaysrecognized as official inIraq through their represusentatives in Baghdad,but he is not sure this canbe achieved.The U.S. Departmentof State publishes annualreports about religiousissues in different countutries and regions aroundthe world. Last year theypublished a report aboutKurdistan in which theydidn’t find proof of violulations or oppression byauthorities regarding religugious minorities. In fact,they praised the region.“One of the beautiful aspupects of Kurdistan Regionis the peaceful coexistutence of its various compuponents,” says Ali Karim,Chairman of the Kurdiuish Institute for HumanRights. “This has beenone of the secrets behindthe success of Kurdistanwhen it was fighting forsurvival.”Karim argues that Yezidudis are Kurdish in originand hence should haveequal rights in all aspectsof life, including politicalrepresentation and partuticipation in governmentposts.Scania: Confederation of Swedish Enterprise anddevelopment organizations work together to rebuild IraqSweden’s Minister forTrade, Ewa Björling andministers of the Kurdistutan Regional Governmentinaugurated the SwedishTransport Academy in Erbubil, Kurdistan Region, lastweek.The training is targeted atyoung unemployed Iraqiswith a secondary schoolbackground and offers occucupational skills demandedin the transport sector. Theestablishment of the schoolis the result of close coopeueration between Scania,the Swedish InternationalDevelopment CooperationAgency (Sida), the UnitedNations, EF EducationFirst and the Kurdish Regugional Government’s Miniuistry of Labour and SocialAffairs.The Swedish Transpuport Academy opened inearly April, when almostone hundred young Iraqiscommenced their trainingin three different courses– information technolouogy (IT), English and basusic mechanics. Later thisyear, the Academy plans toexpand its activities to incuclude courses in advancedmechanics, driver trainingand also in sales and markuketing.“The school will serve asan important base for recucruitment of the employeesneeded for the continuedexpansion of our serviceand sales units in the countutry,” says Gustaf Sundell,who is Scania’s CountryManager for Iraq.The establishment of theSwedish Transport Acadeuemy was made possiblethrough financial assistancefrom Sida, which is investiuing SEK 20 million over afour-year period. The operauations are supervised by theUN’s development organunization UNIDO togetherwith the Kurdish RegionalGovernment’s Ministry ofLabor and Social Affairs,which is also providingpremises and paying partof the personnel costs. Scanunia is contributing certifiedteachers and equipment forthe training of service technunicians, while EF Educatution First will be providingfree access to their onlineEnglish language school.“Sida’s task is to help reduduce poverty in our partnercountries. Creating jobsand sought-after skills istremendously importantfor stability and growthin conflict-stricken countutries. It is gratifying thatwe have found a way forSwedish development assusistance and companies tocollaborate where we havecommon interests – it willoffer so much more develouopment for money,” saysHenrik Riby, Coordinator,Business for Developmentat Sida.“This investment in trainiuing is a good model for coouoperation between businessand the public sector whichshould be interesting formore Swedish companies.Scania is already conductiuing discussions with Sidaand UNIDO about theprospect of similar coopeueration in other developingcountries,” concludes Gustutaf Sundell.Scania is one of theworld’s leading manufactuturers of trucks and busesfor heavy transport applicatutions, and of industrial andmarine engines. Servicerelatedproducts accountfor a growing proportion ofthe company’s operations,assuring Scania customersof cost-effective transportsolutions and maximumuptime. Scania also offersfinancial services. Employiuing some 37,500 people, thecompany operates in about100 countries. Researchand development activitiesare concentrated in Sweduden, while production takesplace in Europe and SouthAmerica, with facilities forglobal interchange of bothcomponents and completevehicles. In 2011, net salestotaled SEK 87.7 billionand net income amountedto SEK 9.4 billion.KRP
The Kurdish Globe No. 349, Monday, April 23, 2012 11Unemployed receive partial salaryAbdulsalam Barwari,head of the Social, Childudren and Family Commumission, says that thereare plans to establish asocial security commissusion and guarantee thatpublic and private sectoremployees benefit fromunemployment insuranceand pensions.Barwari stated in an intuterview with The Kurdiuish Globe that employeeswho lose their jobs wouldget up to 60 percent oftheir salaries dependingon their years of service.According to Barwari,the relevant institutionsand ministries are workiuing on a draft for theamendment of the Laborand Social Security Lawin the Region, which “hasbeen submitted to Parliamument” for considerationand legislation.“The Iraqi RetirementLaw was decreed in1969, and was amendedtwice afterward in 1971and 1989,” said Barwari.“According to this law,any person who works inthe government is calledan ‘employee,’ and theyhave certain employmentbenefits.”However, according toBarwari, in Kurdistan theprivate sector does notprovide all the benefitsthe government offers toits employees such as uneuemployment fund, pensusions and social security.Although the currentlabor and social securitylaw obliges the privatesector to provide similarbenefits to its employees,this is not strictly follulowed by the private sectutor. This is a major reasonwhy most of the peoplewant to be employed bythe government ratherthan the private sector.“Although the privatecompanies pay betterthan the government, it isless-secure employmentwith fewer benefits andsocial insurance,” arguesAhemd Abdulrahman, auniversity graduate whohas been looking for ajob in the public sectorfor two years since hegraduated in 2010. “Besusides, private sector jobsare more demanding thangovernment jobs, withlonger working hours andmore difficult tasks.”Barwari argues that theirproposed amendment isto enforce the law on theprivate sector as well,which will encouragepeople to seek employmument there. He added thatif the private sector offersmore benefits, there willbe more job opportunituties, less load on the publulic sector, and it will helpeconomic growth and devuvelopment.“In 2011, the Ministerurial Council submitted adraft law to Parliament,but it had a lot of shortcucomings,” explainedBarwari. “Therefore, theA worker at the Tawke field in Iraq's Kurdistan region, where oil was struck in 2005. The Kurds are claiming control of their oil.ministry [of labor and socucial affairs], social secururity commission, workerssyndicate and civil socieuety organizations draftedanother project after sixmonths of meetings, confuferences, seminars andreceiving feedback, andwe, as the commission,prepared the final reportand submitted it.”One of the points raisedin the project is reemphasusizing the social securityfund and forcing the privuvate sector to pay socialsecurity contributions andput it in the fund, whichwill be used in case ofdiseases, unemploymentor retirement to be paidback to the employees.“According to the draft,the government is alsorequired to contribute 30percent to the fund everyyear,” Barwari told theGlobe.The project preparedby Barwari’s commissusion only addresses thosepeople who used to beemployed in the past andcontributed to the socialsecurity fund, but theylost their jobs for variouous reasons. Only thosepeople, according to Barwuwari, will be entitled tobenefit from the unempuployment fund.According to the draft,those unemployed peoplewill get paid up to 60percent of their salariesfor the duration of theirunemployment and untilthey find a new job.The head of the Social,Children and FamilyCommission stated thatthey have requested thislaw to be applied to privuvate sector companies ina way that all the adminiuistrative staff of privatecompanies would contutribute to the fund.“Besides the benefit tothe employees, it willalso increase the moneyavailable in the fund.”Azad Lashkari/ReutersKurds celebrate 114th anniversary of first Kurdish newspaperA festival and photo exhibitution was held today at Pesushawa Qazi Muhammad Hallin Erbil to mark the 114th annuniversary of the first Kurdishnewspaper.Many photographers particiuipated in the exhibition andmore than 50 photos wereon display. The gatheringwas opened by speaker of theKurdistan Region's parliamument Arsalan Bayiz.He said at the exhibition: "Ibelieve that police and secururity forces should know howto deal with journalists inthe Kurdistan Region. Fromnow lessons should be taughtat police academy and intelluligence departments aboutfreedom of the press in orduder to provide a better atmosusphere for journalists."Kurdish poet Chnar Namiqsaid: "On the 114th anniversusary of the first Kurdish papuper, I congratulate Kurdishwriters and journalists, butregrettably we see daily a lotof unprofessional magazinesand papers. The main reasuson [is because] these papersare issued by unprofessional[people]."Kurdish writer and journaliuist Wushiar Aswad meanwuwhile added: "Because of thedemocratic atmosphere inthe Kurdistan Region, journunalism developed but stillthere is a lack of professionalpapers."Also we can see that oppuposition and private mediaappeared in Kurdistan. Thispoints out that the Kurdishmedia stepped forward."The first Kurdish newspapuper, Kurdistan, was issued onApril 22, 1898 in Egypt byMiqdad Medhet al-Bedirxan.AKnews
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Kurdish-Turkish ties stronger than ever - Kurdish Globe

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