KRG and EU Liaison Office Discuss Strengthening Human Rights and Strategic Cooperation

On Monday, 13 January, 2024, Dindar Zebari, the Coordinator for International Advocacy (OCIA) for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), met with Radu Butum, Head of the European Union Liaison Office in the Kurdistan Region. Their discussions focused on enhancing human rights, promoting good governance, and strengthening the strategic partnership between the KRG and the EU.

The Coordinator for OCIA highlighted the KRG's Human Rights Plan, approved in 2021, as a cornerstone for advancing international advocacy in the region. He detailed key achievements, including efforts to combat narcotic drugs and corruption, safeguard the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, provide services to nearly one million refugees and internally displaced persons, tackle human trafficking, and uphold media freedom to foster transparency, awareness, and accountability.

The meeting also emphasised the importance of capacity-building and technical assistance to further advance the KRG's human rights efforts. This includes developing expertise in implementing recommendations from international human rights treaties to improve governance standards across the Kurdistan Region.

Radu Butum commended the KRG's commitment to integrating human rights into its governance priorities, citing initiatives such as the KRG Human Rights Action Plan (2021–2025). He reaffirmed the EU's readiness to collaborate with the KRG by providing technical support, fostering connections with European institutions, and promoting the region’s achievements at the EU level.

Both sides underscored the importance of aligning governance standards with international human rights principles and reiterated their shared vision for deeper cooperation between the KRG and the EU.