Kurdistan Center for International Law and Asser Institute sign legal cooperation agreement

A delegation from the Kurdistan Center for International Law, headed by deputy director Mr Ahmed Zangana, visited the T.M.C. Asser Instituut in The Hague this week to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing a framework for bilateral cooperation on research and training activities in international law.

The Kurdistan Center for International Law is a non-governmental, non-partisan, non-profit, and independent center focusing on research and analysis of the international law pertaining to Kurdistan’s communities. It is located in Sulaymaniyah, a city in the east of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and capital of the Sulaymaniyah Governorate.

The MOU between both institutions aims to advance the development of international law by exploring cooperation in conducting studies on international legal topics, and in developing and implementing training programmes for Kurdish academics and practitioners.

The institutions are exploring setting up an Inter-University Programme in Kurdistan focusing on international humanitarian law, international criminal law, and the legal aspects of countering terrorism. The partnership will further provide access to relevant professionals when either institution lacks in-house expertise, and will also provide information and documentation sharing.

According to Kasper Vrolijk, managing director of the Asser Institute, the collaboration with the Kurdistan Center for International Law will contribute to the development of international law through the exchange of knowledge and expertise in a region that faces multiple challenges.

About the Asser Institute
The T.M.C. Asser Instituut is a Hague-based independent research centre for international and European law, affiliated with the University of Amsterdam. The Asser Institute’s mission is to contribute to the development of international and European public and private law by independent legal research and knowledge dissemination.