From March 18-21, 2025, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)-Kurdistan participated in the TESOL 2025 annual conference in Long Beach, California, which brought together over 3,000 participants from various countries. As an affiliate of the international TESOL Association, headquartered in the United States and comprising more than 120 affiliates worldwide, TESOL Kurdistan marked a significant presence at the event.

Marwan Abdi, Founder and Executive Director of TESOL Kurdistan and Head of the English Department at University of Duhok, represented the organization at the conference. As he explained to Kurdistan Chronicle, this marks the first time Kurdish scholars have participated in such a global academic gathering through a formally registered and recognized association.

The conference featured a diverse array of educators, researchers, and language professionals from around the world, with TESOL affiliates from countries such as Ukraine, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Turkiye, Brazil, Panama, Peru, Argentina, the UK, and various African countries contributing to the discussions. “Among these affiliates, TESOL Kurdistan, as a recognized member of the TESOL International Association in the United States and International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language in the UK, achieved a significant milestone by securing a booth to represent the Kurdish community of scholars,” Abdi remarked.

The presence of TESOL Kurdistan at this international forum underscores the growing contributions of Kurdish educators to the field of English language teaching and establishes a foundation for future academic collaborations and recognition on the global stage. As Abdi emphasized, it also showcases the potential of the Kurdish scholarly community to represent itself in international academic circles, demonstrating its capacity to contribute to and engage with the broader global scholarly community.