The Kurdish Institute of Lausanne – The Raising of Kurds
Issue 5, May 2025
The month of May witnessed a historic step. On the 4th of this month, the Kurdish Institute of Lausanne was founded in Lausanne, Switzerland, and announced with a special reception. The choice of the institute's location and its naming are meaningful. Because around a hundred years ago, Kurdistan was divided among 4 countries by an international treaty that had been signed in this city. Moreover, Kurdish identity was deemed non-existent and the Kurdish nation remained stateless. This institute, whose founding president is Necat Zivingî, rises with a sacred purpose. In the institute's governing body, there are representatives from all four parts of Kurdistan. What kind of institute is this and how will it operate, what will its first works be? Here is the declaration of the institute.
Declaration on the Founding of the Kurdish Institute of Lausanne
Today, for the declaration and the protection of the national rights and the cultural and political existence of the Kurdish nation, with historical responsibility and national consciousness, we announce the founding of the Kurdish Institute of Lausanne.
Why Lausanne, Why Now?
The Kurdish Institute of Lausanne takes its name from the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, by which the right to self-determination of the Kurdish nation was systematically denied. The Kurds remained stateless.
For us, this name is not a symbol of rejection; it is one of confrontation, reconstruction, and revival. For this reason the Institute has been founded at the site of denial, in order to rebuild the truth that has been suppressed, and has taken its first step here.
Our Institute was founded as an intellectual and institutional initiative to expose and overcome the historical rupture.
Temporal Threshold: The Century of Historical Silence
The regime of denial, partition, and silence of the Treaty of Lausanne — under which the Kurdish nation has lived for more than a hundred years — is now coming to an end. The transformations in the Middle East after 2023 are transforming the language of intra-Kurdish relations and of international law. The Institute is the product of that vision which sees this historic moment and transforms it into intellectual leadership.
Our Mission and Aims
The essential aim of our Institute is the protection of the right to self-determination of the Kurdish nation from historical, legal, and political angles, and the preparation of the intellectual level at institutional levels and in legitimate forms. In this context, the questions of identity, language, culture, and freedom of the Kurds are the main points of the work and research of the Institute.
Operating as an intellectual centre (think-tank) that conducts research on the Kurds and Kurdistan at regional, national, and international levels; and, in the long term, the founding of a Kurdish University in Europe — the realisation of an institution with academic autonomy that can bring together universal knowledge and science with Kurdish art and thought — are the aims of the Institute.
From Fragmentation to Unity: A Will That Transcends the Ghettos
The Kurdish Institute of Lausanne takes as its basis the overcoming of the ghettos of the parts among the Kurds — ghettos that have come about through historical partition — by means of an intellectual and institutional renewal grounded in national unity.
The founding and governing system of our Institute rests on the leading will from all parts of Kurdistan. This composition represents the united future of the Kurdish nation at the intellectual and practical level.
Not only against the ghettos among Kurds, but at the same time against the social ghettos in the countries where Kurds live, it stands; on the basis of unity, self-confidence, and integration, it promotes a national existence.
A Historic Call in Lausanne: The International Workshop
In line with this vision, we announce with joy and determination that, on the anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne, in July 2025, under the leadership of our Institute, we will hold in Lausanne, with the participation of academics, jurists, and politicians, a workshop titled “The Right to Self-Determination and the Future of the Kurds”. This workshop, in the place of historical denial, will become a platform that brings the voice of our search for freedom and our intellectual force to the world.
Switzerland: Cooperation and a Shared Future
The Kurdish Institute of Lausanne sees Switzerland not merely as a centre and a place, but as an example of intellectual freedom, political plurality, and developed democracy. Our Institute takes as its foundation solidarity with Swiss society and with the cultural world of this country.
On this basis, we extend our heartfelt thanks to our Swiss friends, the institutions, and the general public, who especially supported us during the process of founding the Institute.
An Institution Beyond the Diaspora
With this declaration, we announce not only an institute, but at the same time, in the march of the Kurdish nation toward freedom, the beginning of a new intellectual stage.
The Kurdish Institute of Lausanne is the intellectual, scientific, cultural, and academic institution of an ancient nation. We call on all Kurdish intellectuals, academics, artists, and patriots to be a part of this endeavour.
The Kurdish Institute of Lausanne
Lausanne, Switzerland
04 May 2025