About the Ministry for Sports and Youth

The Ministry for Sports and Youth was established 7 May 2006 in the new unified Government Cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government. The Ministry for Sports and Youth is formulating the Kurdistan Region's very first Sport and Youth Policies.

The general vision of the Ministry for Sport and Youth is a developed democratic civil society for all citizens regardless of gender, age, religion or ethnicity.

The overall vision of the Ministry for Sports and Youth with regards to its sport policy is:

A democratic, independent and self-maintaining sports movement.

Implying a sports movement that will run and manage most of activities concerning sports in the region through member-federations that will promote democratic values such as honesty, fair play, leadership, teamwork, tolerance, empathy, respect, trust, confidence, communication, participation, problem solving.

Active, engaged and health aware citizens with democratic values who promote the Kurdistan Region in regional as well as international contexts.

Implying citizens participating in sport activities through voluntary engagement and through sports enhance their lives and engage in strengthening the Kurdistan Region's relations with abroad.

The overall vision of the Ministry for Sports and Youth with regards to its youth policy is

'A free, independent, creative, active, educated and stimulated youth population.' Implying a youth population that consists of free individuals, that live in a peaceful society with good living conditions and standard of living, pursuing a life of responsibility, independence and activity in society as full citizens with rights and obligations.

'A democratic, self-perpetuating, influential and participative youth movement and population.' Implying a youth population with access to the political power, politicians and their agenda setting, a coherent and organised voice of the youths with power and ability to influence and govern society.

The slogans of the Ministry for Sports and Youth are 'For All Citizens - For A Better Life' and 'Alone - a drop, Together - an ocean'.

The focus target groups in the Sports policy are girls and women, war victims, disabled, health endangered citizens, and socially marginalized youth with economic and social difficulties in danger of high risk behaviours.

The focus target groups in the Youth policy are rural youth, out-of-school youth socially marginalized youth with economic and social difficulties in danger of high risk behaviours, adolescents particularly female adolescents, youth with disabilities, youth under especially difficult circumstances like victims of trafficking, drugs, orphans street children.

The Ministry for Sports and Youth will in all its work within the Government and the public consider the following perspectives, gender equality, ethnicity, age, religion, social conditions, disabilities, sustainability, environment, AIDS/HIV and drugs.