A- General Objectives

1- Establish peace, democracy, freedom, tolerance, the principles of the market economy, social justice, prosperity, the rule of law, the rights of citizenship, the precepts of a civil society, self-determination, a secular system of government, freedom of conscience, protection of the environment, peaceful coexistence and stability of all nations on the basis of mutual respect for the rights and will of others. At the same time, the PUK will struggle against dictatorship, war, invasion, oppression, poverty, corruption, discrimination on the bases of race, sex, religion or sect, violations of human rights, chauvinism, ignorance and terrorism.
2- Show commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and all other international human rights instruments and treaties.
3- Achieve right to self-determination for the Kurdish people in a democratic manner.
4- Maintain and promote the democratic, federal and parliamentary systems of Iraq.
5- Reintegrate Kirkuk, Khanaqin, Shengal, Makhmour, Mandeli, Badra, Jassan and all other separated areas into the Kurdistan region.
6- Uphold all legal and constitutional rights of the Kurdish people as given in the Iraqi constitution.
7- Express commitment to the constitutional rights of all other ethnic and religious groups such as Turkmens, Arabs, Armans, Chaldeans, Assyrians, Ezidies, Christians, Saebi-Mandani, Kakeyees, and Shabak people in Kurdistan and Iraq.
8- Apply the principles and views of social democratic society to build a prosperous and modern community.
9- Establish peace and security in Iraq and in Kurdistan in particular, and across the Middle East and the world on the basis of being a friendly neighbor, our mutual interests, and peaceful coexistence according to international laws.
10- Enforce those international agreements related to the prohibition of weapons of mass destruction and their use.
11- Establish the mass killings of Anfal and chemical bombardments as crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing within Kurdistan and Iraqi and as well as the international level and make all efforts to compensate the victims of those crimes.
12- Provide job opportunities and educational services to those Kurds who have come from the other parts of Kurdistan and lived under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government as well as to their families and provide opportunities for cultural, sporting and other activities.
13- Provide political, economic, cultural and economic opportunities for all social groups in the wish to give them a better life.
14- Promote the idea of Kurdish individuals as citizens with political, social and economic rights in a civil and modern society.
15- Promote the peaceful coexistence of all people of various religious and sectarian backgrounds. To achieve this, the PUK seeks to form a political system on the bases of democracy and secularism.
16- Support the political struggles of Kurds in all countries of the region in a move to find peaceful and democratic solutions suitable to conditions in the real world so that they may attain their legitimate rights.
17- Remove landmines planted in the region and ameliorate the impacts these weapons have had. The PUK also seeks to compensate the victims of mine explosions.
18- Make efforts toward economic reform and promote the growth of the economy in all aspects.
19- Normalize the social situation in Kurdistan and heal the wounds of the past destructive civil wars and address remaining problems through legal, political and social means.
20- Make efforts to remove weapons of mass destruction and support those international treaties that prohibit such weapons.
21- Honor the struggles of political prisoners and make efforts to compensate them and their family members according to law No. 4 that was passed in 2006.
22- Organize the political system in Kurdistan to regulate relations between various parties and the government in a way that suits the needs of the Kurdish people.
23- Make efforts to create support for a draft constitution for the Kurdistan region by placing it before the people in a referendum in a bid to win the trust of the majority of people.

B- Political Objectives

1- Complete the process of separation of powers for the legislative, judicial and executive bodies and protect the independence of the courts. Also, establish the fourth power, the media, which should be used to serve freedom and democracy.
2- Commit to the peaceful exchange of political power at all levels in Kurdistan as a result of elections or other democratic processes.
3- Provide legal grounds for a democratic and civil life through provisions of freedom in religion and sects, personal expression, in the media and in residency, and in the freedom to form political organizations, unions and civil society organizations.
4- Provide the freedom to express disagreement through hunger strikes, protests or demonstrations for all people as according to law.
5- Consider the supreme interests of the Kurdistan region when making local and international alliances.

On the Question of Nationalism

The lack of a democratic solution to the Kurdish national question was among the primary reasons for the ongoing instability of Iraq beginning with the formation of the country in 1921 and continuing until the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime on April 9, 2003.
The pro-Kurdish liberation movement was a democratic movement but the Iraqi authorities had had always taken an undemocratic stance on the issue of Kurdish nationalism.
At the beginning of the1980s, the PUK made a radical change in the pro-Kurdish liberation movement’s objectives, shifting from a call for genuine autonomy to one of self-determination. Following the Uprising, the strategy of self-determination became the primary means within the Kurdistan parliament for establishing a democratic and federal state for Kurdistan within Iraq. Later, self-determination was embodied in the Iraqi constitution after the fall of the dictatorial Baath regime.
The PUK believes that a democratic solution to this problem is appropriate for Iraq and for Kurdistan. Thus, it regards the development of a federal system in Iraq as paramount and wishes for the implementation of constitutional rights for the separated areas, therefore ensuring the continuity of the constitution. The constitution is the primary tool for stability, security and peaceful coexistence in Iraq and throughout the region.

C- Economic Objectives

The PUK seeks to provide a suitable environment for the establishment of a market economy as regulated by law. Thus, the economy of Kurdistan will recover from its suffering by means of plans and programs that generate prosperity for its people.
However, transformation into a market economy requires strong political will and the passage or amending of numerous laws.

First: Agricultural sector

The PUK seeks to promote the agricultural sector in a manner that maintains commercial and economic balance, serving to preserve food security. This will result in a gradually growing income for farmers. This objective cannot be achieved through traditional means of agricultural growth, but rather requires the development of a modern agricultural map that meets the needs of farmers as well as the needs of the market for agricultural products. The plan must include use of agricultural technology, modern irrigation and greenhouse systems and provision of financial assistance for farmers. In other words, a new agricultural system must be introduced, that does not depend on the quantity of farmers, rather on a scientific plan to increase agricultural not only meet local needs but . To achieve these goals, the PUK seeks to
1- Develop a robust agricultural policy based on data and information which takes the market economy into account. The private sector should play a considerable role in developing this policy.
2- Address legal concerns in regard to agricultural issues, including land ownership problems and the protection of farmers’ rights.
3- Ensure efficient water resources through production of a modern infrastructure including large and small dams, and canals and waterways and renovating existing irrigation systems. All of these aim to make the farmer less dependent on rainwater to water their farms.
4- Make efforts to industrialize the agricultural sector through importing the most advanced agricultural technologies, by establishing agricultural workshops and laboratories, expanding and developing agricultural research centers and joining the regions most fertile areas to the markets.
5- Provide greater funding to the agricultural banks and issue necessary instructions to the banks to provide further assistance to agricultural projects.
6- Encourage the establishment of macro-agricultural projects, as opposed to projects that encompass only small tracts of lands, and thus establish large agricultural companies.
7- Join the academic programs of the agricultural colleges, institutes, and preparatory schools and the veterinary colleges with the Kurdistan region’s markets so as to encourage students to further develop the agricultural sector.
8- Recommend that farmers and agricultural investors produce strategic products that will expand this sector of the economy.
9- Control and find solutions to zoonosis, diseases that are directly or indirectly transmitted from animals to humans.
10- Develop and promote livestock careers in the Kurdistan region since caring for livestock helps farmers and villagers to remain in their villages.
11- Promote poultry and fish farms, beekeeping ,etc.
12- Promote the cut flower industry through an increase in the numbers of gardens and plantings for that purpose.
13- Open new and expand existing veterinary hospitals and provide them with all their needs for equipment and other tools, so that animal-related diseases can be studied and treated.
14- Preserve the natural habitats and prohibit the hunting of animals that are under the threat of extinction.

Second: Industry and Energy

To promote the industrial sector so that it can provide local needs, including consumer goods, and to contribute to the national income and increase job opportunities, the PUK seeks to
1- Outline an industrial policy in cooperation with the private sector to renovate old factories and establish new plants which primarily use local raw materials.
2- Encourage industrial banks to provide the necessary capital to industry.
3- Establish industrial research centers and develop industry in general.
4- Provide energy such as electricity and oil necessary to industrial activities.
5- Expand and promote existing industrial colleges and institutes, which can help to provide the industrial needs of the Kurdistan region.
6- Protect local industrial products through necessary laws and economic policies.
7- Pass strong laws obliging factories and companies to comply with environmental protections.
8- Develop the petroleum industry so that it may become a substantial economic support for the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Kurdish nation.
9- Develop local natural resources such as oil and minerals and promote exploration to find new sources for these materials.
10- Use natural materials to produce energy, with special emphasis placed on renewable energy sources.

Third: Finance Sector

1- Develop many sources of income production in the region.
2- Find appropriate solutions to joblessness and increase the workforce through humanitarian development and empowering our scientific and technological capacity.
3- Establish self-sufficiency in both consumption and production by emphasizing that local products should be favored over imported goods.
4- Renovate the infrastructure in the productive sectors, especially the agricultural and industrial sectors, so that local products can compete in the foreign markets.
5- Make efforts to amend tax laws so they can help to grow the economy while also promoting social justice.
6- Establish a modern banking system which can broker all financial activities. Banks should become a means the government can use to preserve financial and economic balance and to provide insurance for Kurdish banks across the world.

Fourth: Administrative sector

1- Promote progressive economic administration policies and access to modern and democratic governance.
2- Establish a de-centralized administrative system which can provide maximal support for all regions so that these regions can develop their governments and economies, especially the rural areas.
3- Hire experts and specialists and outline appropriate duties of managers according to the laws and regulations of the foundations which they run.
4- Prevent nepotism and favoritism in foundations’ affairs in order to support a modern management system and assign people to jobs according to their skills and within an advanced administrative system.
5- Develop a transparent administrative policy in the foundations, in which accountability and transparency along with indicators of administrative performance are established.
6- Open centers tasked with training employees in administrative tasks, which will contribute to the overall administrative capacity of the Kurdistan Regional Government.
7- Apply the system of “one-window” governance to reduce bureaucracy and create a modern system (electronic-government).
8- Practice active financial administration in Kurdistan according to established law.

Fifth: private sector

To transform the region into a market economy, development of the private sector is required.
To do this, the PUK seeks to
1- Amend most existing laws and regulations in Kurdistan that impede the growth of economic activities. Such laws include labor, ownership registration, moneylending, rental, business permit laws, etc.
2- Ensure equal opportunities for all within the private sector and provide an appropriate level of opportunity for competition between the private and public sectors and as well as between provinces, districts and sub-districts so as to improve their performance.
3- Engage the private sector in developing economic plans and policies so that it can better contribute to the rehabilitation of Kurdistan.
4- Promote the banking system in the Kurdistan region, which can play an active role in developing the private sector, and establish strong relations with Iraqi, regional and international banks.

Sixth: micro-projects

Given that micro- and medium-scale projects are an obvious source of job opportunities, infusing small amounts of capital into businesses and developing regional production levels, the PUK seeks to establish a special foundation for such projects.
Also, the generator of such projects should be able to access moneylending services to expand their projects, which will also lead to an increase in job opportunities.

Seventh: Tourism sector

The PUK supports creating a master plan in cooperation with the private sector for boosting tourism, developing the existing tourist sites and constructing new tourist villages and compounds.
And to contribute to this plan, the PUK seeks to rehabilitate the ancient religious and historical sites, which also serve the cultural needs of Kurdistan.

Eighth: Environment

It is the current and ongoing work of the PUK to protect and improve the environment of the Kurdistan region and express a commitment to local, regional and international treaties pertaining to environmental protection.
It also continues efforts to remove remnants of chemical weapons which were used against Kurdistan, and mine fields, both of which have contaminated the environment of the Kurdistan region.

Ninth : Combating Corruption

The PUK seeks to launch a comprehensive plan to combat corruption in all governmental, private and civil society foundations at all levels through legal measures and obtaining the government’s commitment to the UN convention on combating corruption.
That is, transparency should be a number one characteristic of the government. Also, to combat corruption, financial supervision boards should be re-organized, an integrity commission should be founded and the judicial system and prosecution arms of the government should be revitalized and promoted.

D- Social Objectives

Social relationships and traditions and other traits which strengthen relationships among men, women and the family are of absolute importance to the development of political and social life. Thus, the PUK, as a political entity that hopes to promote social stability, strives to
1- Provide legal and economic opportunities to provide jobs to the jobless because this is primary cause of many social problems.
2- Provide social security for people with limited income, elders, people with special needs and laborers suffering from disability because of work previously performed. Such provision must be in balance with the market and the inflation rate.
3- Review the social reform system to provide appropriate opportunities to integrate released prisoners into society.
4- Make efforts to protect child and youth rights by implementing international treaties that address these issues.
5- Provide newborns and those up to the age of 16 with a special monthly security fund.
6- Review the pension law in Kurdistan and amend it in ways that will provide a worthy life for retirees.
7- Open women’s shelters and women’s training centers to improve their intellectual capacity.
8- Conduct a continuous campaign at the national level to raise people’s awareness to reverse a culture of ignorance which has marginalized women and which will encourage people to welcome equality between men and women in all aspects. This can be achieved through empowering women economically and employing them in governmental and private sectors.
9- Identify through political and legal means the fate of people who were sent to unknown destinations through the campaign known as Anfal.
10- Prevent drug use through the implementation of tough laws on their use and on the smuggling of drugs.

First : Humanitarian Development

The PUK believes that issues relating to human resources and these problems’ impact on the economy are challenging ones. Thus, the PUK strives to
1- Develop human resources to improve the people’s welfare in the region.
2- Increase the role of human resources in the development process that can meet economic and social needs.
3- Promote the educational system and implement training and exercise courses through the provision of a legal foundation whose programs are continuously developed in line with other developmental projects.
4- Allocate more funds to human resource development.
5- Arrange a cooperative plan among population policy makers, the workforce and those in the educational system.
6- Establish a special foundation tasked with supervising human resource development programs.

Second: Youth

Given that young people will be the most important capital of a future Kurdistan, the PUK strives to
1- Provide job opportunities for youth, prepare them for the work market and improve their working capacity inside and outside the country.
2- Provide opportunities in which youth can develop their talents and find themselves through social, sports-related, educational and political activities.
3- Provide free opportunities that aide youth of both sexes to form families and find places of residence.
4- Create situations in which youth can actively contribute to the political, social and intellectual decision-making of the region.
5- Increase the number of youth training centers and join these centers with those of the larger region and worldwide.
6- Apply modern procedures to establish youth organizations so that youth can enjoy freedom of expression and give voice to their needs.
7- Educate the youth in a modern manner and cultivate and strengthen a sense of love of the homeland.

Third : Sports

Sports are of great importance to a society since they are a means by which recently liberated nations can introduce themselves to nations across the world and alert peoples of other countries to their legitimate political demands. Thus, the PUK seeks to
1- Educate youth in athletics and encourage excellent performance.
2- Establish sport clubs for all athletic activities across the Kurdistan region.
3- Develop sports infrastructure such as stadiums, swimming pools and indoor sporting halls.
4- Establish health clinics in large cities that treat athletic injuries.
5- Allocate sufficient funds for sports clubs and unions so they may sustain their athletic activities. 6- Establish a sports satellite TV channel in Kurdistan.
7- Allocate funds to bring in professional coaches from abroad to train our athletes using modern educational techniques.

Fourth : Women

Women have an important role to play in Kurdistan and they should be regarded as an important pillar of the society. Thus, any political party seeking to demonstrate its modern identity should put women’s questions in a prominent position in its political agenda. Thus, the PUK, as a political and pro- women’s advancement party that holds to social democratic doctrines, seeks to promote the political, social, economic and cultural rights of women as follows:
1- Provide women with social, economic and political opportunities so that they can enjoy their civil and political rights.
2- Provide economic opportunities to women so that they can have access to jobs and have their own income, thus becoming independent economically.
3- Oppose ideologies and views which consider women second-class citizens and people that should be marginalized.
4- Raise the intellectual awareness of society to the importance of equality between men and women.
5- Eradicate the historical oppression of Kurdish women by passing appropriate laws and preventing all forms of violence against them.

Fifth : Education

1- Make efforts to modernize the educational system so that it will match the progress being made worldwide and to meet the needs of the community.
2- Express commitment to compulsory schooling until completion of basic education.
3- Promote the educational system at all levels starting at kindergarten and continuing to higher education as well as increase the number of school buildings, reduce classroom crowdedness, provide suitable student dormitories and provide transportation to schools for those students whose villages do not have preparatory schools in them.
4- Develop Kurdistan-based universities run by the government or the private sector and protect their independence. Promote scientific research.
5- Develop quality vocational and technical education to meet market demands.
6- Pay heeds to new academics and modern academic mentality through reversing the immigration of Kurdish people with higher academic certificates into Kurdistan region from abroad.
7- Pass a special law that mandates the eradication of illiteracy and then develop a scientific approach to accomplish this.
8- Make efforts to provide study abroad opportunities for students to developed countries, especially for students studying the natural sciences.
9- Open an academy tasked with teaching the Kurdish language to those who have settled in Kurdistan but do not know the language.

Sixth : Health

1- Re-organize the health system in a modern way so that it can meet people’s needs and offer appropriate health services along with provision of health insurance for all citizens of the Kurdistan region according to international standards.
2- Care for pregnant women and make it unnecessary that they engage in heavy work. 3- Promote Kurdistan-based hospitals and seek to open new ones where health problems can be treated.
4- Control pharmaceutical drug and medical equipment imports into the Kurdistan region.
5- Develop medical training courses inside and outside the Kurdistan region in a bid to produce professional medical staff in all medical fields.
6- Open medical care compounds in cities and towns.
7- Arrange the cost of private clinics and hospitals in a way that is proportionate with the average income of people.
8- Expand children hospitals, which offer the best services to Kurdish children.

Seventh : Residence

The PUK seeks to
1- Address housing concerns, especially for people with limited incomes, and amend housing laws in a way that reflects the best interests of the people.
2- Encourage investment in housing and construct flats and houses for people in cities and villages.
3- Provide modern living services for all cities, towns and villages.
4- Provide residencies for Peshmargas, disabled fighters of the Revolution, political prisoners, relatives of martyrs and victims of Anfal campaigns and for people with special needs.
5- Pass the ownership of houses from the government to employees who rent them. The government should sell these homes at the price per month of the tenants’ former rents until the house has been paid for in full.

Eighth : Culture

1- Establish a scientific center tasked with combining the various Kurdish dialects to formulate a standard Kurdish language.
2- Promote the media, fine arts, cinema and Kurdish literature.
3- Preserve and document the Kurdish folklore and traditions.
4- Respect and help to maintain the cultures and traditions of other ethnic groups such as Arabs, Turkmens, Chaldeans and Assyrians and other existing religious groups and sects such as Christians, Ezidies, Saebi-Mandani, Shabak and Kakayis.
5- Given that Kurdistan was a birthplace for civilization, as historical records have proven, our historical sites should be acknowledged and a national museum should be constructed in the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government to pay homage to this history.

Ninth : Relatives of Martyrs and Victims of Anfal and Chemical Weapons

1- Make efforts to provide for the worthy life and welfare for the relatives of the immortal martyrs of the Revolution, as well as the victims of Anfal and chemical weapons, and seek to compensate those who experienced loss as a result of these catastrophes.
2- Care for the children of the martyrs of the Revolution and the victims of Anfal campaigns and chemical weapons and provide facilities for them to complete their education inside or outside of the country.
3- Keep alive the reputations and memories of the martyrs and the victims of Anfal and chemical weapons in the educational system and through various special events.
4- Seek to address the social and legal concerns of relatives of the victims of Anfal campaigns.
5- Continue to search for Anfal victims and bring their holy remains back to the place where their ancestors dwelled.
6- Seek to have the Anfal campaigns recognized as genocide at both the local and international levels.

Tenth : Political Prisoners

1- Similar to law No. 4, passed in 2006 by the Iraqi parliament on the needs of political prisoners, the PUK demands that the Kurdistan parliament address the concerns and needs of political prisoners to the same degree as political prisoners from other Iraqi provinces.
2- Insert a special article regarding political prisoners in the draft constitution of the Kurdistan region in a bid to honor the existence of Kurdish political prisoners and oblige the Kurdish government to insure the welfare of their family members, as confirmed in the Iraqi constitution.
3- Give honor medals to the political prisoners of Kurdistan as the Secretary General has approved doing so.
4- Consider and equalize the length of the struggle of political prisoners with that of Peshmargas in war scenes, those who became disabled because of wars, and martyred during armed struggles.
5- Allow political prisoners to access financial deposits as PUK Peshmarga veterans can. 6- Provide financial assistance to the children of political prisoners who study in private universities.
7- Provide funds for political prisoners according to the budget set by Iraq for Iraqi and Kurdish political prisoners.
8- Treat political prisoner medical patients at the expense of the government, whether they reside inside or outside of the country.

Eleventh: Disabled Peshmarga veterans, political prisoners and people with special needs

1- Enforce law No. 34, passed in 2007, in regard to political prisoners. Although this law was approved by the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region, it has not been put into effect by the government.
2- Establish a special directorate for disabled veterans in the KRG ministry of Peshmarga.
3- Give honor medals to disabled veterans and provide them with privileges as according to the law.
4- Provide scholarships to the children of disabled veterans and cover all educational costs, whether they attend school inside or outside of the country.
5- Provide each disabled veteran who has not received one with a piece of land.
6- Construct resident compounds for disabled veterans, where their needs can be met.
7- Treat disabled veterans who have not yet received medical treatment, whether they reside inside or outside of the country
8- Provide financial aid to disabled veterans who suffer from chronic diseases so as to cover the costs of their drugs and other necessary medical needs.
9- In addition to the symbolic privileges, the disabled veterans should have access to other privileges when they are employed by the government or given jobs or positions in the political parties.
10- Open social, entertainment and vocational training centers to more fully integrate disabled veterans into society.
11- Provisions for disabled veterans should be considered when constructing public buildings and special buses and other transportation means for their transport should be provided.