The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) was formed in 1992 by the Kurdistan National Assembly, the first democratically elected parliament in Kurdistan (and in Iraq) following the no-fly zone designed to protect the Kurdistan Region from the violence of Iraq’s former Ba’ath regime.

 

The KRG developed experience and expertise throughout successive cabinets, especially after the fall of the former regime in 2003. In 2006, two separate KRG cabinets unified to form the 5th Cabinet, led by current Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani. The 5th Cabinet embarked upon a number of unprecedented projects and policies that were not possible in previous years.

 

These included the construction of international airports, a proactive oil and gas policy, reconstruction of the Region’s infrastructure, the promotion of relations with members of the international community, and greater funding for social and economic projects within the Region. The 6th Cabinet, led by Dr. Barham Salih, built upon the successes of the 5th Cabinet, promoting a number of important domestic issues related to housing, higher education, and government transparency. The 7th Cabinet has achieved some key strategic successes, none more important than developments in the field of oil and gas and a rapid influx of foreign investment.

 

Previous cabinets have overseen groundbreaking improvements in the delivery of basic services for citizens, including provision of electricity, infrastructure development, improvement in the provision of health and education, and an unprecedented growth in per capita GDP and standards of living.