Women, Peace and Security

The talks in Syria began today, with the Syrian government and opposition exchanging accusations and invectives. Missing was the voice of nonviolent civilians, especially women, even through they have been trying for months to have a seat at the table. "When we talk about women at the table, the men see them as the tablecloth," said Hibaaq Osman, an NGO leader who has been working with Syrian women and pushing for their inclusion. "The future of Syria should not exclusively be decided by those who carry guns."

Oxfam calls for increased participation of women and civil society organizations in peace process

The Geneva II Conference, which opens today, must deliver real change in the lives of ordinary Syrians, says the worldwide development organization Oxfam.

There will be some 35 countries making statements in Montreux today. But there will be no voice for the people who have the greatest stake in these talks: the women of Syria and civil society. 

The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) warns that the decision by the UN and Arab League of Nations not to include women in the Geneva 2 peace talks could hamper efforts to bring about peace in Syria.

The mayor of Bangui, Catherine Samba-Panza, was elected interim president of the Central African Republic on Monday, as the European Union agreed to send hundreds of troops to help restore peace to the country torn by sectarian bloodshed.

Samba-Panza, a businesswoman with a reputation as a fighter who became mayor of the capital in 2011, was elected in a second-round vote by the transitional parliament, becoming the chronically unstable country's first woman leader.

Conference of Syrian women, convened by UN Women and Netherlands, ends with strong recommendations for upcoming peace talks
 
(Geneva, 14 January) A two-day meeting to support women's participation and voice in the Syrian peace process, convened in Geneva by UN Women together with the Government of the Netherlands, ended today with a statement by Syrian women civil society members and activists.

Egyptians were voting in a referendum on the country’s draft constitution on Tuesday and Wednesday, a document that would enshrine unprecedented gender equality for women.

Since the so-called Arab Spring shook Egypt and the region to its foundations in 2010, the roles and rights of women in the Middle East’s most populous country have been under the spotlight.