16 December 2024
Since the beginning of the Syrian revolution (2011), Syrian women have played a crucial role in the fight for peace and democracy by participating in demonstrations, delivering humanitarian aid, supporting the survival of local communities, supporting the education and health sectors, and fighting ISIS. Throughout the last 14 years, Syrian women have endured unspeakable disasters from the Syrian regime and other actors, such as sieges, bombings, detentions, loss of their loved ones, chemical weapons, lack of representation, displacement, gender-based violence, all while being deprived of their rights and freedom. As the Assad dictatorship ends, likewise, the injustices that Syrian women have been subjected to must end. The Center for Civil Society and Democracy has worked with thousands of Syrian women, and we have cultivated a resilient network of Syrian peacebuilders. We have listened to Syrians’ needs and reflected on their aspirations. We understand that including women must reflect Syria’s diverse and pluralistic society. We provide the following recommendations for all Syrian, regional, and international actors. We urge them to guarantee women’s rights and meaningful participation in peace and security processes as mandated by UNSCR 2254 with a minimum 30% quota for equality.
1- Protection:
- Support efforts by civil society actors to adopt gender-sensitive confidence-building measures to address the root causes and consequences of the conflict. For example, peace actions to address ethnic and religious tensions, release of detainees, abductees, and enforced missing persons and the provision of adequate survivor-centered services and psychological support, processes for reparation and accountability, support for the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of refugees and IDPs.
- Establish protection mechanisms for Syrian women leaders from all different kinds of violations and discrimination, including domestic violence, gender-based violence, and technology-facilitated GBV, protection against any discrimination or marginalization of women in Syria by the state, society, or armed actors, protection for women human rights defenders, women peacebuilders and women politician with roles in the political transition.
2- Humanitarian and Development Support:
- Syrian women must constitute more than half of the beneficiaries of the humanitarian and development support for Syria. Beyond receiving aid, Syrian women must lead in assessing the needs, planning, implementing programs, and evaluating outcomes. Efforts to link humanitarian assistance, development, and peacebuilding should prioritize agriculture, water, and education.
- It is essential to allocate designated resources to support Syrian women’s resilience during the transition period, such as providing legal, psychosocial, and financial support. In addition, it is essential to provide economic empowerment opportunities for Syrian women.
3- Transitional Justice:
- Syrian women must be included in the design of the transitional justice process in Syria, including Truth and Reconciliation Committees, memorialization, institutional reforms, vetting, reparation, and judicial processes such as special courts to try SGBV cases and mechanisms to provide justice and accountability for crimes committed against women.
- A task force on SGBV must be incorporated into all the national and international mechanisms, such as the IIIM and IIMP. It is essential to provide support for women survivors of human rights violations in Syria, including the families of the detainees.
4- Political and Constitutional Process:
- Provide the technical support and necessary resources to Syrian women to engage in the comprehensive political processes, including the constitutional process. Women must participate in the reform of the police and security sector by international human rights principles. In addition, Syrian women must be supported to engage in free and fair elections under UN supervision as voters, and elected officials.
- Strengthen the role of the Women Advisory Board to the UN Special Envoy to Syria by establishing communication and feedback mechanisms with all three tracks; create a supportive framework around it, and utilize it as a channel to influence advancing the political process, including the constitutional process and establish feedback loops.
5- Inclusive Transition:
- 30% Women Quota: Women shall constitute at least 30% of the seats in all stages of Syria’s transition, including the negotiations, the transitional government, the National Dialogue, the nomination list for any elections, and in any appointment of the national, regional, and local administration and mechanisms.
- Establish an entity to monitor women’s participation and gender equality in all stages of the political process and engender the legal framework covering political life, focusing on laws covering the right of association, elections, political parties, and local administration.
6- National Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security:
- The consultation process led by Syrian women must start to design the Syrian National Action Plan for Women, Peace, and Security based on SCR 1325 and other related resolutions. This must include the main pillars of the plan: participation, protection, prevention, and early recovery.
- Mobilize more support for the feminist agenda, women’s organizations, and women politicians to enable them to participate in peace, security, justice, and reconstruction.