The Vision Foundation for Strategic Studies organized a forum on Saturday, October 25, 2025, in the city of Sulaymaniyah under the title: “Twenty Years After the Adoption of the Constitution… Where Do We Stand on Federalism and Decentralization in Iraq?”.

The forum witnessed wide participation from representatives of Iraqi and Kurdistan research centers, civil society organizations, as well as a number of academics, experts, and government officials.

The event opened with a speech by the head of the foundation, Adnan Osman, who emphasized the importance of activating the constitution as the cornerstone for building a stable state and as a means to entrench the principles of federalism and decentralization in Iraq. In his remarks, he posed a central question about Iraq’s current position regarding these two systems after two decades since the constitution’s adoption.

The forum included three panel sessions addressing different themes:The first session, titled “Twenty Years After the Adoption of the Constitution: The Place of Federalism and Decentralization in the Structure of Governance,” featured and promoted Dr. Yousif Mohammed, Dr. Rezan Saeed, Hawre Tawfiq, and Dr. Ali Algharifi, moderated by Choman Mohammed.

The second session, titled “From Conflict to Partnership: An Analytical Approach to Developing the Federal System within the Framework of Democratic Transition,” included Mustafa Sarai, Dr. Abdulhakim Khsraw, Dr. Bahar Mahmoud, Dr. Wael Munzer, and moderator by Zardasht Khalid.

The third session, titled “Constitutional Institutions Under the Federal System: Roles, Authorities, and Limits of Function,” featured Dr. Mazin Zaidi, Sarbast Amidi, and Dr. Jalal Hassan, moderated by Dr. Sana Kamal.

Throughout the discussions, participants exchanged views and insights on the implementation of federalism and decentralization in Iraq, as well as the challenges facing their consolidation within the political and administrative systems. At the conclusion of the forum, recommendations and proposals were presented and read by Dr. Didar Abdulkarim.