University of Zakho Launches Environmental Awareness Campaign Across Zakho Independent Administration

Under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Diyar Abdulkarim Saeed, President of the University of Zakho, and in the presence of Mr. Segvan Ibrahim Mohou, Director of the Quality Assurance and Educational Supervision Directorate of the General Directorate of Education in the Zakho Independent Administration, the University of Zakho Environmental Center has launched a major environmental initiative across the Zakho Independent Administration.

Following coordination between the Environmental Center and Ecosia, the Environmental Center’s staff, under the supervision of the University of Zakho Presidency, prepared a number of informational brochures for distribution to 268 schools. The brochures include dedicated QR codes linking users to the Kurdistan–Ecosia platform.

The initiative aims to establish an environmental challenge between the University of Zakho Environmental Center and the Zakho Directorate of Education, with the objective of jointly increasing the number of users of Ecosia and promoting environmentally responsible practices within the community.

The Impact of the Initiative

The potential impact of this initiative is significant. If only 15,000 students and employees across the Zakho Independent Administration conduct an average of five searches per day through Ecosia, this could contribute to the planting of approximately 1,500 trees per day in areas affected by environmental degradation, deforestation, and climate change, through Ecosia’s tree-planting initiatives.

It is worth noting that this is currently one of the largest environmental campaigns of its kind across the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. To date, the campaign has brought together five universities, three non-governmental organizations, and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Board for the Protection and Improvement of the Environment. As part of the current phase, 268 schools have joined the campaign.

Next Phase of the Initiative

The second phase of the initiative will focus on strengthening environmental education through joint activities conducted by environmental education trainers from the Directorate of Education in collaboration with staff from the University of Zakho Environmental Center.

Through this initiative, the University of Zakho seeks to promote environmental awareness, encourage sustainable digital practices, and strengthen cooperation between educational institutions and environmental organizations in support of a greener and more sustainable future.