Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the head of the UN’s Iraq Assistance Mission (UNAMI), opened her “frank” speech at the conference organized by the University of Kurdistan, Hewler’s Center for Regional and International Studies (CRIS) by recalling the famous Kurdish saying, “a friend is the one who makes you cry.”
The envoy’s speech focused on the importance of preserving Kurdistan’s geopolitical challenges, coexistence, service delivery, and Peshmerga reforms.
“One could even say that ‘unity in diversity’ is the foundational recipe that allowed the Kurdistan Region to come into being,” Hennis-Plasschaert told the autonomous region’s assembled top political figures, adding that it is also “certainly the principle that will guarantee its future.”
Hennis-Plaschart stressed the importance of resisting “impatience” for democratic institutions in the country.
“Sustainable democratic societies are the opposite of overnight miracles – they require immense patience and an unwavering willingness to compromise,” she said, adding that the democratic process has to be given time.
The one-day conference hosted politicians and leaders of the Kurdistan Region’s various political parties, Kurdistan Regional Government ministers, and members of the foreign diplomatic community in Erbil.
The importance of compromise between the region’s political factions is paramount, Hennis-Plaschart noted, as “the seemingly bitter pill of a concession ultimately opens the door to lasting success.”
The Kurdistan Region has a draft constitution, last updated in 2009 and consisting of 122 articles, but its passage has been hindered by a lack of political consensus.
Hennis-Plaschart told the attendees that at the end of the day it is actions that matter most in the delivery of public service.
“Actions speak louder than words,” she said. “Beautiful declarations and speeches have their place, but at the end of the day it is all about getting things done.”
“The key is in your hand,” the envoy told the political elite as she concluded the speech.
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