WILPF at CSW59: Amplifying the Voices of Palestinian Women within the WPS Agenda

Organised by: WILPF, YWZA, MIFTAH

Panelists/Participants: Dr. Lily Feidy, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy – MIFTAH; Ms. Suhair Ramadan, Women's Rights and Advocacy Expert, YWCA Palestine; Ms. Hanan Kaoud, Director, Development Communication and Outreach – Gender Expert, MIFTAH

Summary: Palestinian women and civil society continue to be excluded from any formal processes related to resolution of the conflict in the Occupied State of Palestine. A number of women’s organisations and the Palestinian National Institute for Human Rights are proactively collaborating to advocate for women’s rights and call for the implementation of international mechanisms to safeguard their status. Women’s rights organisations are particularly important at this stage because of their collective actions in communities and the connection they create between peace, justice and gender equality. Hana Kaoud, from MIFTAH, expressed the importance of building a movement of women civil society activists. She noted that Palestinian women were more aware of their role change from victims to agents of change. Both speakers discussed the importance of CSOs moving towards coordination and collaboration to strengthen their position. Suhair Ramadan, from YWCA, also expressed the need to empower grassroots women with advocacy tools and to discover concerns on the ground.