The University of Human Development marked the International Mother Language Day with an event held at Dr Ali Qaradaghi Hall. It aimed at highlighting the importance of preserving and developing the mother language, and at the same time accepting cultural and linguistic diversity in the Kurdistan Region.

The UHD President Prof. Dr Mariwan Ahmed Rasheed, members of the Presidential Council and teaching staff and a large number of students attended the event, also from the outside were many distinguished guests including the Governor of Sulaymaniyah Dr Haval Abubakir and the Head of Sulaymaniyah Governorate Council Mr Azad Hama Amin.

The Dean of the College of Law and Politics gave a short speech at the opening of the event in which he welcomed everyone and praised the efforts of the organisers and wished everyone a happy time. The first part of the event then kicked off; a panel was held for three specialists; Prof. Dr Abduljabar Mustafa Ma’ruf spoke about the importance of using Kurdish in science and other fields of study, Prof. Dr Bestun Hassan Ahmed spoke about the necessity of having a standard Kurdish language and what should be done to that end—there is still no standard Kurdish language—and, finally, Dr Mustafa Raza Mustafa criticised the status quo in Kurdistan regarding the Kurdish language and insisted that children up to a certain age must study in Kurdish at schools. Asst Prof. Dr Ahmed Omar Bali from the University of Human Development moderated the panel. In the second and last part, a music concert was held for Mahwi Music Group and Kurdish young singer Bokan Hawrami.

The event was organised by a group of students from the Department of Diplomacy and Public Relations at the College of Law and Politics as part of their Event Management module. It was sponsored by three organisations from outside university: Youth Activity Organisation, Hunar Omar Surchi Organisation and Kurdistan ‌Hatwan Media Network. 

The UHD President thanked the students and said that arranging and managing such a large event is very significant and implies that our students would be able to do great things when they graduate. He further added that the event was a product of the UHD’s policy of supporting practical classes.

The International Mother Language Day was first announced by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation in 1999 and formally recognised by the United Nations General Assembly in 2002. The occasion is celebrated worldwide on 21 February to spread awareness and promote the idea that all languages used by peoples anywhere in the world must be protected and persevered and that peoples have the right to use and develop their mother tongues.