Yekmal e.V.
Thank you, Madam Chair. My name is (….) representing Yekmal e.V. Education is the foundation of
equality, yet for many ethnic minorities, it becomes a battleground for identity and survival. In northeastern Syria, the region known as Western Kurdistan, Rojava, where the Kurdish language was
forbidden for decades by all the successive governments, a policy that erased identity and silenced
voices. But in 2013, a remarkable shift occurred due to the emergence and efforts made by the
Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. Students began learning and studying in their
mother tongue. A right that many take for granted, but it's a profound act of cultural preservation in
that region. However, this progress exists in a fragile bubble. Kurdish-speaking students face
systematic barriers to higher education. As universities under de facto Interim Syrian government
control refuse to recognize their academic qualifications at all the levels prior to university
enrolment. This non-elected de facto government, heavily influenced by hard-line jihadi criminal
factions with militant, ideological agendas, despite promising a new political chapter, has too often
acted in ways that remind us all, literally, of the previous collapsed Assad regime. Maintaining an
exclusionary policy that marginalize minority groups. Our young generation is denied the opportunity
to contribute fully to their society simply because they dare to embrace their mother tongue. We
urge the international community to support education in mother tongue for all ethnic minorities,
especially in the post-conflict zones. Thank you.
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