Brussels’s conference discusses strengthening Kurdish representation in international institutions

BRUSSELS — A conference organized by the Kurdistan National Congress (Kongreya Neteweyî ya Kurdistanê, KNK) in the Belgian capital of Brussels discussed ways to strengthen the international representation of Kurds and expand their presence within the United Nations system. Participants included academics, experts in international law and human rights, and political figures. The conference sessions focused on the possibility of obtaining observer status at the United Nations, as well as making greater use of existing international human rights mechanisms. The participating experts stressed that international recognition of the Kurds and stronger Kurdish representation at the United Nations should be central to long-term diplomatic efforts. They also called for expanding relations with international and regional institutions and involving Kurdish communities abroad. Read also: Kurdistan National Congress concludes 23rd Congress with multi-ethnic participation, Jacob Mirza of Bethnahrin National Council elected to Executive Council The conference was attended by former Co-President of the European Syriac Union (ESU), Fehmi Vergili, who participated as a member of the conference bureau. In his speech, he said the ESU supports the Kurdish people’s efforts to secure representation at the United Nations. He added, asking: “We Syriacs, the Kurds, Yazidis and other indigenous peoples who have faced persecution, have been indigenous peoples in Beth Nahrain [Mesopotamia] for thousands of years. So, why do we not have real representation in our homelands?” Vergili went on to argue that the issue must also be addressed from within "before we turn our attention outward." He said that people should also ask themselves, "why the model of governance in [Autonomous Administration of] Northeastern Syria was lost to the now-dissolved Hayat Tahrir al-Sham." The conference concluded with a call to pursue long-term efforts to strengthen Kurdish representation internationally. The final statement called for recognition of the Kurds as a nation at the United Nations and for efforts to secure observer status in its institutions.