The General Secretariat in Cairo hosted the Women and Peace Conference under the slogan “Current Challenges in the Arab Region” organized by the “Egyptian, Arab, and African Solidarity Foundation”.
The conference witnessed the participation of Dr. Maya Morsi, President of the National Council for Women of the Arab Republic of Egypt; Ambassador Mohamed Al-Orabi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt; former head of the Schaff Center for Future Studies and Analysis of Crises and Conflicts; head of the conference; a number of representatives of the Arab and African diplomatic corps accredited in Cairo; and many Arab experts in peace and security issues, held under the auspices of the League of Arab States.
Ambassador Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Social Affairs Sector, confirmed in a speech she delivered at the opening session of the conference that holding this conference reflects a keenness to enhance opportunities for responsible partnership between governments and civil society institutions to enhance women’s capabilities and empower them in a way that allows them full, equal and serious participation. In achieving and maintaining peace.
It also reviewed the efforts of the League of Arab States aimed at achieving justice for women, enhancing their political, economic, and social rights, and supporting national and regional initiatives that focus on including the gender perspective in the path of peacebuilding, as empowering women, protecting them and defending their rights has become a major element in the equation of peacebuilding and its sustainability because they are an active and influential partner in this path. Especially in countries experiencing armed conflicts.
For her part, Dr. Maya Morsi, Head of the National Council for Women in the Arab Republic of Egypt, stressed that enabling women to participate and include their needs leads to accelerating and achieving more effective peace and reconstruction processes.
She added that studies indicate that there is a close connection between women’s signing of peace agreements and reaching peace and the continuous involvement of women in peace processes leads to an increase in the probability of the continuation of peace agreements for at least 15 years.
She pointed out that the National Council for Women, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior, is implementing a training program entitled “Women and Armed Conflicts,” which focuses on the various frameworks and mechanisms related to the protection and participation of women during and after conflicts.
At the conclusion of the conference, Dr. Zein Sadat, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Egyptian, Arab, and African Solidarity Foundation, reviewed the recommendations that had been adopted, stressing the Foundation’s keenness to continue its efforts to follow up on the implementation of the conference’s conclusions of proposals to empower Arab women in the field of peacebuilding and achieving its sustainability.
