This briefing is an exploratory study with the primary aim of analyzing the current status of human resource development (HRD) in the public sector of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). It evaluates the provision of training strategies and identifying the challenges and future opportunities to the implementation of an institutionalized process. It uses a qualitative approach in which two complementary types of data sources are employed. Data were analyzed using iterative thematic content analysis. This paper suggests that the factors that have posed as obstacles to effective and efficient professional development and training include: lack of a practical HRD model and systematic process specific to KRG's public sector, absence of evaluation procedures, weak civil service training institutions, and corruption. To try to provide a complete picture of HRD in Iraqi Kurdistan, an attempt is also made to describe the relatively undeveloped private sector.