The University of Human Development (UHD) held its annual graduation ceremony for the Class of 2023 on Thursday, 30th November 2023 – eligible students from different UHD departments attended it. This was the twelfth generation of UHD graduates. 

The ceremony began with reciting the Holy Quran and playing both the national and UHD anthems. Asst Prof. Dr Ahmed Omar Bali gave a speech on behalf of the preparation committee in which he congratulated the new graduates and wished them the very best for their future. He mentioned that UHD is moving forward and the international ranking systems for universities recognise this reality – UHD was ranked as the only university in Sulaymaniyah Governorate in Times Higher Education Arab University Rankings 2023. 

Then came the speech of UHD President Prof. Dr Mariwan Ahmed Rasheed. He congratulated the students on their achievements and said that UHD always makes sure to provide the best learning environment for its students. He referred to some major achievements such as that UHD was the first university to implement the Bologna Process following the request of the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research; has received accreditation from ASIC; and its two academic journals are licensed by the Ministry of Higher Education, which means that original research papers published in those journals can be used for promotion and acquiring scientific titles, and accredited in several important databases such as Arab Citation and Impact Factor (ARCIF).

The president carried on in his speech and stated that UHD is the only private university in Sulaymaniyah Governorate qualified by the Ministry of Higher Education to have a pedagogy centre for training and preparing Master's and PhD degree holders to teach at Kurdistan universities. He referred to the fact that UHD collaborates with the Ministry of Higher Education and with public and private universities and other higher education institutions in Kurdistan in many areas; it opens training courses and workshops for civil servants of various government agencies; it has recently opened the Manuscripts and Cultural Heritage Unit to collect and preserve Kurdish scholars’ manuscripts; and UHD lecturers take the lead in research publication and participation in international programmes like Erasmus Plus. Prof. Dr Mariwan Ahmed Rasheed finally thanked the UHD’s Head of the Board of Trustees, Prof. Dr Ali Qaradaghi, for his constant support and care.

Students then took the Graduation Oath: they swore by the Almighty and promised to be honest and abide by good work ethics when they start their careers and be committed to serving their country in the best possible way.

The next step was that students walked onto the stage one by one, received a paper from the UHD president and took a photo with him symbolising the accomplishment of their study.

The ceremony took place at Prof. Dr Ali Qaradaghi Hall. It was live-streamed on UHD social media hence thousands watched the event. Families and friends of the graduating students were delighted to come to the ceremony to see their loved ones in graduation gowns and caps and take memorable photos with them.