Jordan Times
Tuesday, March 9, 2004
Queen attends 'Women and Armed Conflict Resolution' forum in Beirut
By Sahar Aloul
Beirut — Arab first ladies gathered here on Monday to examine the psychological, social, economic and political consequences of armed conflicts on women as part of the Arab Women's Summit proceedings.
Eight first ladies, including Her Majesty Queen Rania, president of the Second Arab Women's Summit (2002-2004), as well as representatives of 15 Arab countries and several international and regional organisations attended the launch of the two-day “Women and Armed Conflicts Resolution” forum.
“As we look at the amount of violence and tension in our region as a result of continued aggression in Iraq and what the [Israeli] government is doing in the Palestinian territories, it is only natural that the role of women in armed conflicts demands exceptional attention from us,” Lebanese First Lady Andre Lahoud told participants at the forum's launching ceremony which coincided on the International Women's Day.
The Lebanese president's wife added that women in general and Arab women in particular should assume a more responsible role in light of what she called “the great discrepancy” between growing calls for human rights and democracy worldwide and real practices on the ground.
European Parliament member Mary Banotti, who also attended the opening ceremony, called for a collaborative effort to bridge the gap of understanding between Europe and Arab countries and address women's rights within a universal human rights framework.
“The situation in all your countries is of great concern to the West... your message is not heard and we need to get to know each other through basic human interaction to confront the differences between us,” she told the packed conference room.
The two-decade-serving parliamentarian urged audience to build critical masses of women in different fields so as to make their voices heard in all circles.
Experts from around the region also presented papers on the effect of armed conflicts on women as well as their role during and after hostilities, with particular emphasis on the suffering of Iraqi and Palestinian women.
According to Mirvat Tillawi, executive secretary general of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the outcome of wars on women should be studied carefully since 80 per cent of armed conflict victim's are civilians and 75 per cent of the world population of refugees are women and children.
“Armed conflicts have a huge social, economic and psychological impact on women since they have to assume the responsibility of providing for their families in the absence of men, in face of harsh circumstances including lack of food and employment,” Tillawi said during the first session.
She concluded that the impact of armed conflict on women varies from one country to the other, but all wars have similar effects on females such as increasing the family's economic dependency on them, breaking up immediate and extended families due to killing or immigration, poverty and physical harm such as kidnapping and rape.
Jordan also presented working papers during the conference, which concludes today, by Judge Taghreed Hikmat, the first woman to be appointed to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and Ibrahim Badran of Philadelphia University.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the conference, Queen Rania chaired the first meeting of the Arab Women's Organisation (AWO) Higher Council
Queen Rania, president of the AWO Higher Council (2003-2005), as well as first ladies Suzanne Mubarak of Egypt, Asma Asad of Syria, Fatima Bashir of Sudan, Sheikha Sabika Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain, and Andre Lahoud of Lebanon attended the meeting.
During the meeting, they discussed the fundamental tasks and issues pertaining to AWO, including bylaws, internal structure, plans, projects, budgets and future proposals.
Queen Rania emphasised the need to develop strategies and practical long- and short-term programmes to bring Arab women to their potential to ultimately boost society as a whole.
“We all believe that the development and prosperity of Arab women is a basic necessity to guarantee the present for our Arab nation and the future of our generations. Thus, close cooperation between Arab countries through developing common yet country sensitive programmes is required,” Her Majesty told the AWO Higher Council.
Roweidah Maaytah, head of the AWO executive committee and Wadoudah Badran, AWO Egyptian general manager, gave a presentation on the organisation's basic structure and modus operandi, highlighting each country's contributions.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Mubarak suggested the establishment of a fund for the organisation with a $250,000 donation from Egypt and the same from Bahrain, to support the running costs of the AWO.
Established in March 2003, the AWO is the outcome of fruitful efforts of the Arab Women's Summit and builds on ensuring greater Arab women's cooperation and integration as well as furthering inter-Arab cooperation and synchronising the Arab stance on both regional and international arenas.
The organisation, established in Amman with a $250,000 start-up budget, is based in Cairo, and operates directly under the auspices of the Arab League. AWO focuses on ensuring greater cooperation between Arab women to achieve equality in policies and legislation as well as raise awareness in regional and international forums about Arab women and their issues in generals.
Monday's meeting outlined several mechanisms to develop these policies taking into account the special and specific needs of each country.
Later during the day, the Queen visited one of the Lebanese capital's oldest and most renowned schools, the International College (IC), touring its campus and meeting with kindergarten students there.
The college, founded in Turkey in 1891, opened its elementary school in 1913 and added its French language section in 1926. During its first year, IC boasted 901 students from 37 countries and 16 religious sects. Women were admitted to the college in 1960.