Print
Email
RT @ASLANmedia: #BAHRAIN The retrial for hunger-striking activist #alKhawaja and 20 others started in #Manama. http://t.co/sjZ8cqeY #Feb14
Women And Democratic Transition in the Middle East
Women's Learning Partnership
in partnership with The Middle East Program
at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Presents:
Women
and Democratic Transition
in the Middle East
September 20, 2011
9:00 am – 12:45 pm
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
One Woodrow Wilson Plaza
1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington DC, 20004
Printable Event Flyer
Seats are limited. Register online.
- Light refreshments will be served -
*Photo ID is REQUIRED for entry"
WLP will be livestreaming the event HERE for those who are unable to attend
This is a time of critical opportunity for democracy throughout the MENA region, but it is also a time of serious risk for women’s rights. While women have been active participants, in some cases even leaders and spokespersons in the movements for democracy and human rights that have swept the Middle East and North Africa, they have often not been included in the negotiations that will determine the politics of the future.
Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP) has been working for over a decade in anticipation of and preparation for this historical moment. The activists engaged in this network have used long-standing strategies, such as on-the-ground workshops and advocacy, and the many vehicles of modern technology to influence people from the grassroots to national and international decision-makers. They have met significant challenges, worked across national lines to learn from and support each other, and convened regularly to exchange South-South experiences and best practices.
They have used various mechanisms to multiply their work, including radio programs, magazines, social networking, and mobile communications.
We are at an urgent moment. We know that, difficult as it is, bringing about regime change is easier than building a democratic society based on tolerance and gender justice. Women leaders and grassroots activists in the Middle East and North Africa, aware of the cultural context and immersed in the realities of their societies, are best placed to find practical solutions for enhancing women’s position in transitions to democracy.
On September 20, 2011, several of the most knowledgeable and creative representatives of the women’s movement from Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey will address the challenges and the ways and means of achieving viable democracies using women’s position as a barometer for the success of democratic transition.
Schedule
9:00 – 9:30 Coffee
9:30 – 9:45 Welcome
Haleh Esfandiari (Iran/USA)
9:45 – 11:00 Perspectives from the Region
Panelists:
Wajeeha Al Baharna (Bahrain)
Asma Khader (Jordan)
Rabéa Naciri (Morocco)
Farida Naqash (Egypt)
Moderator: Jacki Lyden (USA)
11:00 – 11:15 Coffee Break
11:15 – 12:45 the Arab Spring: Influences and Outcomes
Panelists:
Mahnaz Afkhami (Iran/USA)
Yakin Ertürk (Turkey)
Thoraya Obaid (Saudi Arabia)
Moderator: Jacqueline Pitanguy (Brazil)
