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The role of civil society and women in Syria’s reconstruction
September 19, 20167:00 p.m.
MADRID
Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62).
7:00 p.m.
Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
In Arabic and English, with simultaneous translation into Spanish.
This conference organized by Casa Árabe and the AECID will be held on Monday, September 19, at 7:00 p.m.
Thinking about the Syrian crisis does not mean just talking about the conflict right now, but also what will happen “the day after.” The war has caused hundreds of thousands of victims, along with millions of internally displaced persons and refugees. When the violence eventually comes to an end and the country’s reconstruction begins, the Syrian people will need new skills to help the transition process move forward.
In June 2014, the European Union launched the Tahdir Initiative (“tahdir” meaning “preparation” in Arabic) with the general objective of supporting committed Syrians in different arenas with the process of transition towards a peaceful, democratic, inclusive new Syria. Tahdir consists of educational programs, professional internships, skill-building seminars, non-academic scholarships and travel for study. At this first presentation, the highlight will be placed on the role of women and the drafting of an inclusive constitution.
This conference will include the participation of Ibrahim Draji, a professor of International Law and an expert with the UNHCR; Daad Mousa, a women’s rights lawyer and civil activist; Lilian Salas-French, co-president of the Euromed Feminist Initiative; Santiago Robles, Representative of the EU Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, which forms part of the European Foreign Action Service.
Javier Parrondo, Head of the Department for Cooperation with the Arab World and Asia, at the Spanish International Development Cooperation Agency, will be moderating the event.
Tahdir forms part of the Masar Program launched by the AECID in 2011 to support democratic governance in North Africa and the Near East. It is given support by the Swedish State Agency (SIDA) and the French Euromed Feminist Initiative consortium (EFI-IFE).
Ibrahim Draji is a professor of International Law. For ten years, he has been working on topics such as human and refugee trafficking in Syria and the Arab world, first with the International Organization for Migration, and currently with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. He has written many different articles published by international organizations on these subjects. Since 2011, he has worked on legal protection within the mission of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Syria. He is a co-author of “ABC for a Gender-Sensitive Constitution,” published by the Euromed Feminist Initiative in 2016.
Daad Mousa is a women’s rights lawyer and civil activist with a lengthy career behind her. She has specialized in family law and cases related with immigration and domestic violence. She has a great deal of experience as an expert who provides training on human rights and democracy, with the cooperation of the UNRWA, UNHCR and Refugios del Buen Pastor. She was also a member of the commission to defend political prisoners in Damascus. Her numerous publications include a book on citizenship in Syria and studies on women’s rights, violence against women and girls, and laws which discriminate against women.
Lilian Salas-French has spent most of her career working as a researcher. She was a sociology professor for several years in Vietnam. In the political arena, she has played a role professionally as an advisor on women’s rights for different government ministries in France. She is a co-president of the EFI-IFE Euromed Feminist Initiative, as well as an author and co-author of several studies and publications in the field of women’s rights. She participated in the reference group for development of the “ABC for a Gender-Sensitive Constitution.”
Casa Árabe and the Spanish International Development Cooperation Agency (AECID)