Under the patronage of Mr. Nechirvan Barzani, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Prof. Dr. Ali Saed, the KRG Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, started the opening ceremony of the 1st International Scientific Conference of the University of Zakho on Tuesday the 23rd of April 2013. In addition to participants from 25 universities in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, representatives and researchers from more than 21 universities and research institutes from 14 countries also participated in the conference. The opening ceremony was started by the Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government anthems followed by a speech given by Prof. Saed, who focused on the status of Kurdistan universities and the active steps taken toward the development and capacity building of Kurdistan universities. This was followed by the word of Asst. Prof. Dr. Lazgin A. Jamil, the President of the University of Zakho, who pointed out that this conference has been held for the first time by the University of Zakho which has been established in less than three years (July, 2010). Furthermore, Asst. Prof. Dr. Lazgin A. Jamil focused on the capacity of the university to enroll more than 2600 undergraduate students and 100 Ph. D. and M.Sc. students. He also explained the expansion which is taking place in the university via establishing new research centers, student centers, a Conference Hall as well as supplying various departments with the required equipment and teaching facilities. This was followed by the word of chairman of the conference, Prof. Dr. Omar Al-Habib, who welcomed in the name of the organizing committee, Prof. Dr. Ali Saed and all delegates, guests and participants from Federal Iraq, the Kurdistan Region and other parts of the world for their active participation in the conference. He added that the organizing committee received more than 300 papers from more than 50 universities and research centers from 15 countries. The accepted papers were presented in 52 regular and three plenary lectures, which lasted for three days.
