Qubad Talabani facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Qubad Talabani
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| Deputy Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region Government | |
| Assumed office June 2014 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 July 1977 Damascus, Syria |
| Citizenship | Iraq United Kingdom |
| Nationality | Iraqi |
| Political party | Patriotic Union of Kurdistan |
| Spouse | Sherri Kraham |
| Relations | Bafel Talabani (brother) Lahur Talabany (cousin) Ibrahim Ahmad (grandfather) |
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| Residence | Kurdistan Region |
| Website | https://qubadtalabani.krd/?lang=en |
Qubad Talabani (Kurdish: قوباد تاڵەبانی, Arabic: قباد التالباني) was born on 21 July 1977. He is an Iraqi Kurdish politician. Since 2014, he has been the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region. Before this, Qubad was the representative of Kurdistan in the United States. He is the second son of Jalal Talabani, who used to be the President of Iraq.
About Qubad Talabani
Qubad Talabani is an important member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan political party. He is currently the Deputy Prime Minister in the Kurdistan Regional Government. This is his second time holding this important job.
Talabani first became Deputy Prime Minister in 2014. This was a very tough time for the Kurdistan Region. There was a money problem because the government in Baghdad stopped sending the agreed share of the federal budget. Also, in 2014, a group called the Islamic State took over parts of northern Iraq. This group also threatened the Kurdistan Region.
In the 2018 elections for the Kurdistan Regional Parliament, Talabani promised to bring stability, create jobs, and make government services better. He received a lot of votes, more than 180,000, which was the highest among all candidates. Because of this, he was chosen again as Deputy Prime Minister.
Talabani believes that the government should always serve the people of Kurdistan. He thinks that government officials should work together and not let political fights get in the way.
During his time as Deputy Prime Minister, Talabani has started many important projects.
Making Government Services Better
One big project was the biometric registration project for government employees. This project helps the government have correct information about its workers and their salaries. Before this, it was hard to know exactly how many people worked for the government. Now, civil servants have a special "Unique Personal Number" (UPN).
In 2012, Talabani also started the Department of Coordination and Follow-up. This department helps check how the government is doing and makes sure different ministries work well together.
Another important project is the state services project. This project has made it easier for people to get government services. It has also helped reduce unnecessary paperwork and fight against corruption.
There's also a project for financial transparency. This lets people see online how much money the Sulaymaniyah and Halabja areas collect each day.
Talabani has also supported the SmartSuli platform. This platform asks people and experts to help find solutions for the city's problems. The goal is to make Sulaymaniyah a "smart city" with better services for everyone.
Supporting People and the Environment
Talabani also cares a lot about social issues in the Kurdistan Region. He has worked to make laws better to fight violence against women. He also believes it's important to support young Kurdish people in all their activities. Talabani has also helped develop farming and tourism in the region.
He strongly believes in freedom of speech and freedom of the press. He supports journalists and people working for civil society. He has also worked with other leaders to deal with environmental problems, like protecting water and fighting drought.
Education and Early Career
Talabani has a degree in mechanical engineering from Kingston University in London.
From 2001 to 2003, he worked for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in Washington. He was first a special assistant and then a deputy representative.
In 2003, he returned to the Kurdistan Region for a year. During this time, he worked with the US forces and the Coalition Provisional Authority on foreign relations.
Talabani went back to the United States in April 2004. He continued to represent the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in Washington. In 2006, he became the first representative of the Kurdistan Region to the United States. He stayed in this job until 2012.
While in Washington, Talabani helped create the Kurdish-American Congressional Caucus. This group helps strengthen the friendship between the United States and the Kurdish people. He also helped start the US-Kurdistan Business Council in 2011. This group helps American companies do business in the Kurdistan Region.
Family Background
Qubad Talabani was born in 1977. His father was Jalal Talabani, who founded the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and was President of Iraq from 2005 to 2014. His mother, Hero Ibrahim Ahmed, was a well-known intellectual and influential woman. Qubad grew up in the United Kingdom with his grandparents, the writers Ibrahim Ahmed and Galawezh Ahmed, who were very important in his life.
Qubad Talabani loves football and is a big fan of Manchester United. He is married to a lawyer named Sherri Kraham. They have two children, Ari and Lara.
Qubad Talabani's Vision
Qubad Talabani believes that the main goal of politics is to create a free and fair society. His main idea is "a Kurdistan for all." This means he wants a Kurdistan where everyone is treated equally, no matter their background.
He believes that a country can only be truly free and fair if no one group or party can force their ideas on others.
To reach his goals, Qubad Talabani focuses on four main ideas:
Good Governance
For Qubad Talabani, good governance means being responsible for people's needs now and in the future. This includes making sure everyone has security, freedom, and a good life. He believes that leaders must think about how their decisions will affect future generations.
He thinks that good government needs to be open, efficient, and use facts and expert advice.
Talabani believes that people need to trust their government. He works to make the government more transparent, which means being open about what it does. This helps build trust.
He also works to make government offices more efficient. He believes that some government groups are too big or have old rules, which makes it hard for them to help people properly. He has worked on reforms like the biometric registration and online service portals to fix this.
Talabani believes that government decisions should be based on facts and research, not just personal opinions. He often asks for advice from international experts to make sure decisions are well-thought-out.
He also thinks about the future when making decisions. For example, when it comes to natural resources like water or oil, he believes these resources belong to future generations too, not just the people living today.
Empowering Women
Qubad Talabani believes that improving the lives of women and giving them more power is very important. He thinks that a society cannot be truly free if women are not free and equal in culture, law, and politics.
He believes that when women have a stronger role in politics, business, and all parts of society, the country becomes more democratic and fair. He supports women getting stronger positions in political parties, government, and businesses. He also believes the government should help women develop their skills.
Talabani works with government and other groups to stop all forms of violence against women. He talks with courts and the police to fight domestic violence and make sure those who commit these crimes are punished. He has said, "There is no honour in killing women."
Supporting Youth
One of Qubad Talabani's main goals is to create more opportunities for young people. He believes this is key for them to play a bigger role in society.
He wants to support young people in many areas, like politics, arts, sports, technology, and starting their own businesses. He tries to get help from private companies for them.
Talabani trusts that young people in the Kurdistan Region can solve problems and improve society. He supports projects like the SmartSuli platform and the Sulaymaniyah International Forum for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. He also helps young people who want to start their own businesses.
Freedom of Speech and Press
Qubad Talabani believes that freedom of speech is the most important freedom. He thinks that if people are afraid to speak their minds, the government loses its right to lead.
He insists on freedom of speech and media because he knows that without it, a free and fair society cannot be built. Also, the government cannot be good and responsible without it.
Even though Qubad Talabani has faced many attacks and false accusations, he has never sued anyone in Kurdistan or Iraq. He has always defended journalists and stated that "prison is not a place for journalists."
Environmental Issues
Environmental issues are very important to Qubad Talabani. He believes that our generation is the last one that can stop big problems that threaten the future of Kurdistan, Iraq, and the world.
He is worried that people in Kurdistan and Iraq don't care enough about the environment. He thinks that environmental problems will become a major issue in politics. That's why he believes all political parties should make the environment a top priority.
He is concerned that not understanding these issues could lead to more problems in the future. He is working to make the environment a political priority across Iraq and within his own political party.
Achievements
Qubad Talabani became Deputy Prime Minister in 2014 during a very difficult time. The region faced a big money problem because Baghdad cut its budget and oil prices fell. The Kurdistan Region was also attacked by the Islamic State group, and about 1.8 million refugees came to the region, which put a huge financial strain on local authorities.
In this tough situation, the government struggled to pay its employees, and many projects stopped. Talabani wanted to reform government departments, but the crises made it hard. Still, he didn't give up and started working on reforms right away.
Here are some of the things he has achieved:
Improving Government Services
The goal of the service project is to make it easier for people to get government services and to reduce corruption. This project involves making government services digital.
The first part of the project is done, and an online portal is available. Now, before visiting a government office, people can find out what they need and how much it will cost. If someone has a complaint, they can report it through the portal.
The second part of the project is building a "one-stop-shop" system. This means that when people visit a government office, they won't have to go from room to room. This makes things much easier and helps prevent corruption.
Central Payroll System and Biometric Registration
Before Talabani's work, there wasn't good information about how many government employees there were. Ministries would just send lists of employees each month, which wasn't clear.
Qubad Talabani introduced the idea of a central salary system and oversaw the biometric registration project. This project registers all government employees using their unique biological information.
This biometric register has helped stop "dummy" positions (people getting paid who don't exist or don't work). More than 50,000 such positions were removed, saving millions of dollars each month. Soon, salaries will be paid electronically. All government employees now have unique personal numbers. In the future, all citizens will also have these numbers, and government services will be linked to them.
The government is also working to organize its human resources better and assign positions more efficiently. This is a big step in improving how the government works.
Electronic Signatures Bill
To make government more digital and reduce paperwork, Qubad Talabani has prepared a bill for electronic signatures. If approved, this will be very helpful. For example, people won't have to wait for a manager to sign a document in person.
Leading Budget Talks
In April 2020, the federal government in Baghdad again cut the Kurdistan Region's share of national income. This made it hard for Kurdish authorities to pay civil servants. Qubad Talabani led the Kurdistan Regional Government's team for talks with Baghdad. After many visits, they reached an agreement for Baghdad to send 320 billion Iraqi dinars each month. However, this agreement only lasted for two months.
In late 2020, Talabani and his team started new talks for the 2021 budget. They reached an agreement after several rounds of negotiations. This was an important success for the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Office for Coordination and Follow-up
When Qubad Talabani returned from the United States in 2012, he set up the Office of Coordination and Follow-up. He led this office in the Kurdistan Regional Government. Its job was to check on government actions and decisions and see how different ministries were performing.
During his 18 months there, Talabani started several projects to improve skills within the government. The state services project also began during this time.
Helping the Private Sector
Qubad Talabani has supported the private sector in the Kurdistan Region. He believes it's very important for strengthening the local economy. Here are some of his achievements in this area:
- Registering Companies: Before, registering a company could take months because of too much paperwork. Talabani helped change laws and rules, so now it takes only one working day.
- Reviewing Fees: He reviewed fees for government services. His goal was not to increase fees but to make their collection organized and easier. This helps build a strong local economy.
- Border Crossings: Talabani has helped organize and digitize border crossings. This makes customs duties and other income more transparent and speeds up trade.
- Labor Laws: He has worked to change local labor laws, private sector pension laws, and rules for foreign workers. Changes to the labor law protect equality for men and women in the workplace. This helps the private sector grow and empowers women. The private sector pension bill now allows private sector employees to retire like public sector employees, which makes private sector jobs more attractive. Rules for foreign workers now say that local workers should be hired first. They also protect the rights of foreign workers.
Talabani wants to create a good environment for private businesses to invest. He makes sure that government rules help this important part of Kurdistan's economy grow.
Creating a Kurdish-American Lobby
Qubad Talabani has played a big role in making relations stronger between the Kurdistan Region and the United States. He did this both when he represented his party and later when he represented the Kurdistan Regional Government in the US. He built strong relationships with many groups in the US, including in Congress, research groups, and businesses. All of these relationships help the Kurdistan Region.
While in Washington, Talabani helped create the Kurdish American Congressional Caucus. This group focuses on US-Kurdish relations and had the support of 52 members of Congress. It was started on May 23, 2008, and helps ensure friendship between the US, Kurds living there, and the Kurdish people in the Kurdistan Region. Because of this group's efforts, a US Consulate was opened in Erbil.
Talabani also helped start the US-Kurdistan Business Council in November 2011. This Council helps American companies trade and invest in the Kurdistan Region. It works to make sure that foreign investment helps create economic opportunities in Kurdistan.
