On 14^th June 2011 the National Conference on Decentralization and Local Governance started its works in Erbil. From the KRG side H.E. Dr. Barham Salih, the KRG Prime Minister, H.E. Dr. Ali Sindi, the KRG Minister of Planning, Mr. Nawzad Hadi, Governor of Erbil and other KRG high officials participated. From the Iraqi side, H.E. Dr. Ali Al-Shukri, Iraqi federal government’s Minister of Planning and Development Cooperation, Dr. Salah Abderazaq, Governor of Baghdad and many other Iraqi federal officials participated.

First Mr. Nawzad Hadi, Governor of Erbil, welcomed the participants and wished them a pleasant stay in Erbil. Then Dr. Ali Al-Shukri, Iraqi Minister of Planning, thanked the KRG officials for the reception and organization of the conference.

In a speech Dr. Ali Sindi, KRG Minister of Planning, highlighted the importance of decentralization as a prerequisite for the democratic process in the New Iraq. Dr. Sindi added that the KRG and the Ministry of Planning work to further enable the local governments to fully participate in the decision making process. Finally the Minister of Planning stated that as of the next year a share of the KRG budget will be allocated to the Community Projects; where projects will chosen by the local communities and community members will participate in the implementation and review of such projects.

H.E. Dr. Barham Sailh, KRG Prime Minister, emphasized the importance of decentralization; stating that the success of such an important project depends on the cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil using the Iraqi Constitution as the source of all authorities.

It is worth mentioning that the conference will last for two days, during which many research and survey findings on decentralization and local governance will be presented by the Iraqi Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT) and Kurdistan Regional Statistics Office (KRSO). The main aim of the conference is to draw a roadmap for the decentralization process in Iraq and Kurdistan Region. It should be added that the UN-ESCWA is supporting and organizing the works of the conference.