The current peace negotiations on Syria and South Sudan hold out the hope of mitigating and even resolving two of the world's most destructive civil wars.
But the talks are undermined by the glaring absence of women, who account for most of the millions of people displaced by the conflicts and will have an important role to play in any post-conflict political process.
On December 19th 2013, women from Syrian civil society organisations addressed delegations, UN representatives and INGOs in the Palais de Nations and highlighted the need of Syrian women's voice to be present in the peace talks.
On Thursday, January 16th, 2014, PeaceWomen, along with the Mission of Liechtenstein and the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, hosted the twelfth panel of our Women, Peace and Security lecture series, titled “Women's Participation and WPS Accountability in Syria: Geneva II Peace Negotiations and Beyond.&rdquo
There are over fifty Syrian women in Geneva this week. They are demanding a ceasefire in Syria and to be part of the planned peace talks in Geneva, January 22. Supported by international women's organisations, they are there to break the medieval narrative and to ensure that the voices of those who believe in humanity are heard.
Meet the women who are pushing for equality and justice for women across the world. The Nobel Women's Initiative laureates join us to talk about why it's important for women to have a seat at the table for Syrian peace negotiations in January.
Next month in Geneva, rebels will sit down to talk to representatives of President Bashar al-Assad's government about a peace plan to end Syria's civil war -- a conflict that has killed over 100,000 people since 2011 and driven a third of the population from their homes. In the room alongside the rebels and government officials will be a whole slew of negotiators from various Western countries and Russia.
Women's empowerment in Afghanistan was at the forefront of the international agenda after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Now, more than 10 years later, improvements have been made, but with a weakening of political will and transition underway, it is questionable whether these advances have been sustainable and how they are impacting the day to day lives of Afghan women.
Two important issues to gain traction in Israeli civil society this past year are gender issues and the peace process. And while neither is new, there has been movement on both. Gender issues exploded onto the scene in 2011 with the ultra-orthodox fanatical takeover of public space in the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh by terrorizing young girls and women as they walked city streets.
On Thursday, January 16th, 2014, PeaceWomen, along with the Mission of Liechtenstein and the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, hosted the twelfth panel of our Women, Peace and Security lecture series, titled “Women's Participation and WPS Accountability in Syria: Geneva II Peace Negotiations and Beyond.&rdquo