In late June, members of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement officially launched the group’s first-ever series of public policy papers outlining a feminist path from war to peace in Syria.
Muzna Dureid, Ziva Gorani, and Jomana Qaddour of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement shared the vision of their movement for a new Syria. The recommendations made in the papers are based on the input received from over 120 women in Assad-controlled areas and rebel-controlled areas in Syria. The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) supported this project.
The results of the consultation of Syrian women are in the three papers, which offer a gendered perspective on Syrian constitutional reform, repatriation, and Syria’s early reconstruction. The papers detail the pressing need to include women, civil society, and the international community in addressing the challenges to the formation of the constitution, the conditions necessary for the return of Syrian refugees, and the priorities and approach for a long-lasting reconstruction.
“Women have mostly been included in advisory roles, not at the table, not as actual actors,” said Jomana Qaddour, a member of the of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement, “We can’t just be advising these men to make these decisions—women have to have a seat at the table.”
Founded in October 2017, the Syrian Women’s Political Movement is Syria’s first women-led political movement dedicated to advancing women’s rights and political participation in a free and democratic Syria. They aim for women’s involvement in all levels of peace processes and to increase women’s participation in current official UN-led delegations from 15 to 30 percent.
The movement pushes for inclusivity, including a diversity of members such as Ziva Gorani, one of the first openly Syrian trans women of Kurdish descent. They embody the words of UN Special Envoy, Geir O. Pedersen, from earlier this year, “There will be no sustainable peace in Syria unless all Syrians are included in shaping the future of their country.”
Learn More:
Read the papers in English and Arabic here.
Read about women’s participation in the Syrian peace process here.
Read UN Special Envoy Pedersen’s Security Council briefing on Syria here
Take Action:
Follow the Syrian Women’s Political Movement on Twitter.