The PYD, or the Democratic Union Party, is the leading Kurdish political body in Syrian Kurdistan, or Rojava. Recently, the Kurdish PYD sent a delegation of senior members to Geneva, Switzerland to meet with the United Nations’ Envoy to Syria.
In Geneva, Salih Mulsim, the head of the PYD, spoke to Staffan de Mistura, the UN Envoy to Syria. The two men spoke about the Kurds’ role in finding a peaceful end to the Syrian Civil War, which has been ongoing since 2011.
Peace and Democracy
Since the start of the war, the PYD has pursued an agenda of a peaceful and political solution to the conflict. As an example of its commitment to the political process, the PYD recently held democratic elections in the three fledgling cantons of Rojava.
Rojava is well-known for its democratic inclusion of women, the PYD even has a female co-chair — Asya Abdullah, who was elected in 2012.
The Geneva talks are scheduled to happen over the next five months, and will address a wide range of issues facing Syria including obstacles to democracy.
[Read More at The Kurdish Question]
