Geneva UN Session: Budget Cuts Crippling Kurdistan Region's Ability to Meet International Human Rights Obligations, Official Warns
However, he warned that the prolonged failure to allocate the Region’s share of the federal budget has severely impacted the government’s ability to fulfill its international obligations.
During the second day of discussions on the Convention on the Rights of the Child at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Dindar Zebari, the Kurdistan Region's Coordinator for International Advocacy, reaffirmed the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) commitment to protecting and promoting human rights. However, he warned that the prolonged failure to allocate the Region’s share of the federal budget has severely impacted the government’s ability to fulfill its international obligations.
Zebari stated that the financial constraints have directly affected the operational capacity of institutions responsible for implementing several human rights treaties and mechanisms mandated by international law.
Despite these challenges, the KRG has taken significant steps to institutionalize human rights protections, support legal reform frameworks, and strengthen transparency and accountability. Nevertheless, the absence of stable and just financial resources has hindered both the speed and effectiveness of these efforts.
The Coordinator emphasized that the ongoing fiscal limitations have undermined essential sectors such as education, healthcare, social protection, and services for displaced persons—all of which are key areas tied to human rights treaty obligations.
The KRG’s Coordinator, concluded by reiterating the Kurdistan Region’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and fulfilling its international human rights responsibilities.
Last week, the KRG reiterated its call for the federal government in Baghdad to fulfill its constitutional obligations by disbursing the Region's allocated share of the national budget. During a Council of Ministers meeting, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani emphasized that the federal government's approach undermines the principles of federalism enshrined in the Iraqi constitution and hampers the KRG's ability to provide essential services to its citizens.
PM Barzani highlighted that the Kurdistan Region has met all technical, accounting, and legal requirements stipulated by the federal government, including the submission of payroll and pension lists and unique personal numbers for public sector beneficiaries. Despite this compliance, the federal government has failed to transfer the agreed-upon funds, thereby violating the constitutional rights of the people of the Kurdistan Region and withholding their rightful financial entitlements.
(Source:Kurdistan24)
