Career
He previously served as Minister of Water Resources under the Iraqi Transitional Government and as Minister of Irrigation under the Iraqi Interim Government. Doctor Rashid was formerly a spokesperson for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in the United Kingdom. He is a graduate of the University of Manchester.
As Minister for Water Resources, Doctor Rashid was responsible for a range of issues, including irrigation, municipal and industrial water supply, hydropower, flood control, and environmental requirements including marsh restoration.
After the removal of Saddam Hussein"s regime in April 2004 the Minister oversaw dramatic improvements in the management of the country’s water resources. Doctor Rashid took British secondary school "A-Levels" in North Wales.
He has a Bachelor of Science (1968) in Civil Engineering from Liverpool University, and an M.Sc (1972) and Doctor of Philosophy (1976) in Engineering from Manchester University.
The Minister has been involved with a number of programs and organizations related to engineering, agriculture developments, Kurdish and Iraqi leaderships. He previously worked as senior Project Manager for the United Nations’s Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
Doctor Rashid is a chartered engineer, a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineering and the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID). He has been a freelance consultant for irrigation and drainage projects and worked with the Water Engineering Administration.
Apart from technical qualifications and engagements Doctor Rashid has taken an active part in both Kurdish and Iraqi politics.
Doctor Rashid has also represented Kurdish politics and Iraqi opposition groups to Saddam in official meetings with various international institutions and governments.