WUNRN
Syrian Feminist
Lobby Presents at United Nations Human Rights Council Session 29 in Geneva
With a Landmark
Syrian Women’s Panel, High Level Meetings, and UN Global Networking
The Syrian Feminist Lobby promotes the equal participation and role of women in the decision-making processes in Syria at all levels. It provides expertise in the field of women’s political participation, gender equality and women’s rights, with focus on the needs of women on the ground, in order to support a democratic transition in Syria inclusive of women’s rights and gender equality.
During the UN Human Right Council’s Session 29 in Geneva, the Syrian Feminist Lobby made an impressive and unique advocacy mission on 16-23 June 2015. This special presence of Syria Women’s Rights Defenders at the UN Geneva was co-organized with Euromed Feminist Initiative IFE-EFI in the frame of the program: “Promoting a nonviolent transition in Syria” funded by Sweden and in partnership with the Women’s UN Report Network.
During the trip members of the team of the Syrian Feminist Lobby met with the office UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria, Mr Staffan de Mistura; the Office of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, Ms Rashida Manjoo; the Committee against Torture at the Human Rights Treaties Division of the United Nations, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations Geneva. The Lobby team discussed the situation in Syria and emphasized that the violations of women’s rights and the oppression of women cannot be separated from all other forms of oppression. In the same way, women’s rights cannot be implemented in a State of dictatorship. Therefore the team called for a comprehensive approach to democracy: a democracy that is built on the principle of gender equality in private and public life, full participation of women in decision making and respect of women’s rights as universal human rights.
Ms Lama Kannout and
Ms Salma Yosef of the Syrian Feminist Lobby (on the right) Meeting in Geneva at
the office of the
UN Secretary-General Special Envoy to Syria, Mr
Staffan de Mistura
The team provided recommendations of the Syrian Feminist Lobby to the UN Special Envoy for Syria and the international community and discussed concrete peace efforts towards a political transition that could insure women’s participation and women’s rights on the agenda of the negotiations as well as engender the planning of a political transition.
The Syria Women’s Mission at the UN Geneva featured a landmark Panel: “Syria Women Speak on Realities” on 22 June, during which the women’s rights activists shed light of the real situation of women on the ground and presented their demands for revitalizing the political process based on the Geneva I Declaration.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, Ms Manjoo, contributed to the panel with a special Statement. She paid tribute to women’s rights human rights defenders and activists, inside and outside of Syria for their tireless work and dedication to end the conflict and bring peace, democracy, accountability and reconciliation to the country. Ms Manjoo reiterated the responsibility of the Syrian State to promote and protect the human rights of women and girls and to prevent and redress violations of these rights. Download full statement on www.efi-ife.org
The Lobby team participated at panels and sessions, including a panel with the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and the session of the UNHRC when she submitted her report.
Syria UN Human
Rights Council Session 29 Panelists with IFE-EFI Euromed Feminist Initiative
and WUNRN
The Syrian Feminist Lobby continues with all efforts, nationally and internationally, to promote and discuss political transition, spread information on the real situation of women and men on the ground in the prolonged military conflict and exert pressure on all political parties to increase women’s participation, prioritize women’s rights on their agendas and take into consideration the Lobby’s gendered analyses in the planning of the negotiations and the whole political process.
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