The final Communique of the 14th Congress of the Kurdistan Democratic Party

On November 3, 4, 5 and 6, 2022, our Party held its 14th congress under the slogan (Freedom, Democracy, Justice) in Duhok with the participation of 1061 members.
 The congress began its proceedings with an organized program and after reading several verses from the Holy Quran, the Iraqi National anthem and the Anthem of Kurdistan (Ay Raqib)  were played .
 President Barzani delivered an opening speech at the beginning of the congress, in which he pointed out that the congress had been delayed due to the war against ISIS, the protection of the unity of the Kurdistan territory and the coronavirus.  He also spoke about the situation in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, the region and the world in general. In his speech, he highlighted two achievements that he was proud of during his tenure as the president of the Kurdistan Region.  The first was the decision to send the Peshmerga forces to support Kobanê.  The second achievement was the referendum for Kurdistan's independence.  In another part of his speech, he thanked the resistance of Kurdistan and the Peshmerga Forces in their heroic defense in the fight against ISIS and protecting the Kurdistan territory, and thanked the Kurdistani people for their resistance and support of the Peshmerga and relevant institutions.
Afterwards, a documentary film on the lives of the leadership members who passed away between the 13th Congress and this Congress was shown.  This was followed by the election of the Presidency Committee to oversee the proceedings of the Congress.
 In the first session;  The congress unanimously re-elected President Barzani as the president of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and approved the nomination of the first and second vice presidents.
 Then, the political report of the KDP leadership council was read out. The report clearly explained the reasons for the delay of the congress and stating that in addition to the reasons mentioned by President Masoud Barzani on his opening speech, the  Referendum and the betrayal of 16 October were the main reasons for the delay.
 In relation to the other parts of Kurdistan, it was stated in the report that we are with their demands while at the same time, we ask the political forces of all three parts of Kurdistan to organise their struggle and achieve their rights through modern and civic means. In the report the three  neighbouring countries, with whom we share geographical borders, historical depth, diplomatic understanding and common economic, commercial, cultural and social interests, have been urged to seriously think about a political solution to the Kurdish issue, a solution that will lead to peace, development and stability in the region.  On the Iraqi level, the report states that our party will work through the Iraqi Parliament and the Federal Government to legislate, activate and implement a number of important and basic laws to support the federal system and democracy in Iraq, as stated in the Federal Constitution.
Then, the Presidency of the Congress invited the members of the Congress to establish the required committees and as a result four committees were approved by the congress, which included the party’s Bylaw,  Program, Political Report, Complaints and Proposals Committees.
In the second day of the Congress, the committees carried out extensive and detailed discussions of the reports as they were enriched by the comments and inputs of the members of the Congress.

Dear citizens
Steadfast members 
 
 The congress deemed it necessary to undertake a thorough review of the party’s bylaws in terms of structure, organization and relationships between the organs, in a way that is compatible with the reality of today's party work.  On the other hand, the name of the leadership council was changed to the central committee in the Bylaws, and changes were made to some parts of the party structure, while the name of the provincial Leadership Council was changed to the Organizing Bureau of the Province .  Another change to the Bylaws is to increase the participation of women in the central committee to not less than 15%.
 On the second day, President Barzani proposed 10 members of the previous leadership council to remain. They were all elected to the Central Committee by direct vote.
Then, the congress opened the door for self-nomination for the Central Committee, where (129) members nominated themselves for 41 positions of the membership of the Central Committee and (9) reserve members.  
On the third and fourth days, the process of electing the members of the Central Committee, voting, separating and counting the votes began, which was supervised by the Iraqi High Election Commission and (7) judges of the Kurdistan Region.
It is worth mentioning that the congress adopted a number of the party’s principles and strategies in various fields. The most important of which is to work to strengthen the parliamentary system and democratizse the system of governance based on the principles of the People are the legitimate source of authority;  separation and balance of authority;  independence and efficiency of institutions;  the rule of law and the protection of women's rights and freedoms;  Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the principles of transparency, accountability, punishment and reward in the governance of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.  In another part, it was emphasized that it is necessary to consolidate a good and responsive governance model in order to provide the best public services to the people of the Kurdistan Region.
On the level of humanitarian and social life, our party works for cultural development, in a way that is the true representation of the Kurdistani society and embodies the cultural , religious and diversity and acknowledges our differences for the sake of raising the level of understanding , awareness and patriotism of The Kurdistan people. 
At the Kurdistan level, the Congress emphasized friendly relations with all political parties and considered it necessary to open a new page for relations and to resolve the problems through dialogue and communication.  
At the Iraq level, the Congress emphasized the solution of the outstanding problems, the implementation of the political agreement and the establishment of the government as agreed with the Iraqi political parties.
 
Respected citizens and members  

The Kurdistan Democratic Party, considers the success of the Congress as the realisation of interests and demands of the people of Kurdistan as the KDP is and will be an instrument for the fulfilment of the just rights of the Kurdish Nation and the People of Kurdistan. Therefore, our party extends its congratulations to the People of Kurdistan and our steadfast members and reiterates that as always it remains the defender of the achievements of our People and the attainer of their rights and the protector of the constitutional, patriotic and national achievements which are continuations of the path of the Immortal Barzani.
The congress unanimously called on President Barzani to appoint a a member of the Yezidi Kurds  to our Party's central committee. 

Our Congratulations to the people of Kurdistan in general and the KDP members and supporters in particular. 

Salute to all the martyrs of Kurds and Kurdistan,  immortal Mustafa Barzani and everliving Edris Barzani.

Long live the Kurds and Kurdistan

 Kurdistan Democratic Party

   6- November - 2022