Syrian Women’s Forum for Peace Convenes in Cairo
Posted on: December 3, 2012, by : Editor
As unrest and bloodshed continue in Syria, and women continue to be the targets of violence of the conflict, 44 Syrian civil society leaders from Damascus, rural Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Tartous, Lattakia, Sweda, Daraa, Hasekeh and from outside the country are coming together to unify their vision for the country and to launch a new movement, called the Syrian Women’s Peace Forum.
“By the end of the Forum, we will have in our hands an Action Plan that will take us forward in a clear and practical way. Our group, comprised of diverse political backgrounds, will know who is doing what, what strengths we have and can use, what gaps exist and how to support each other, and how we will actually achieve our next steps,“ said Mouna Ghanem, organizer of the Syrian Women’s Peace Forum.
The movement will be working together for 3 days to produce a clear way forward for the group, and deliver a set of practical strategies for engaging with key individuals, groups and organizations to steer the conflict in Syria towards a peaceful and just solution.
The group will work to draft, refine, and ratify achievable actions and indicators for measuring progress, supporting each other in developing mutual understanding, and pledge the mutual support necessary to ensure that they are able to deliver the commitments they make.
“At this critical moment in Syria’s long history, we have to make sure that Syrian activists from inside and outside the country are trained, equipped, and ready to work towards a peaceful, democratic and progressive Syria,” said Hibaaq Osman of Karama.
Since the Arab uprisings in 2011 Ms Osman, CEO of Karama has played a prominent and critical role in integrating women into political dialogue in a new democratic era in Egypt, Libya, Yemen and now Syria. In doing so Ms Osman says, “We have seen women play a critical role in wanting a better future for themselves and generations to come. Their voices are being heard loud and clear and the convening of the Syrian Women’s Peace Forum is a truly positive step in a new era for Syria too.”
More information can be found at www.el-karama.org
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Nicolla Hewitt at NH@NicollaHewitt.com or Zahra Radwan at and Zahra@el-karama.org.
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