Media advisory: Syrian women engaged in the peace talks meet in New York
Date:
What: On the sidelines of its Executive Board session, UN Women is organizing a panel with members of the Syrian Women’s Advisory Board to the UN Special Envoy for Syria, established in February this year. At the event, representatives of the Women’s Advisory Board will share their experience and contribution to exploring solutions for peace.
First of its kind in the history of the United Nations, the Women’s Advisory Board—composed of 12 independent Syrian civil society representatives from a diverse background—consults regularly with the UN Special Envoy, raising matters that are missing from the agenda and providing recommendations to assist the peace talks.
When: Wednesday, 31 August, 3 – 4.30 p.m. EDT
Where: UN Headquarters (Conference Room 3), New York, US
Who:
- Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women Executive Director
- Members of the Syrian Women’s Advisory Board
- Ambassador Karel van Oosterom, The Permanent Representative of the Mission of Netherlands to the United Nations
Media opportunities:
Media are welcome to attend the event on the 31 August. UN Media accreditation is required (learn more here).
Some members of the Women’s Advisory Board will be available for bilateral interviews.
Media Contacts :
Maria Sanchez, E-mail: maria.sanchez[at]unwomen.org Tel: +1 646-781-4507
Sharon Grobeisen, E-mail: sharon.grobeisen[at]unwomen.org Tel: +1 646 781-4753
Follow the online conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #WomenofSyria
Background:
Five years into the Syrian crisis, more than 250,000 people have been killed and 14 million are in need of humanitarian and development assistance. While Syrian women and girls have been disproportionately affected by this crisis, they are not only victims but also leaders and a strong constituency for peace. Syrian women have organized at the community level, forming networks and coalitions to respond to urgent, humanitarian needs.
Over the past three years, UN Women, with support from the Netherlands and Norway, has been engaging in high-level advocacy, coalition and capacity building efforts to support the meaningful participation of Syrian women as a strong constituency for peace at all level of peace efforts.
Some of the milestones achieved in the process include the successful organization of the Syrian Women Peace Makers Conference in May 2016, which brought together the most diverse and representative group so far in terms of allegiances, ethnicities, religious backgrounds, age and geographic distribution. Over 130 Syrian women, including political and civil society activists, came together and forged a statement of unity despite significant political divides.
This latest effort opens a new era of engagement under the Women’s Advisory Board for the Syrian women’s movement as they work together towards a greater role and representation for women in the political process and forming a strong coalition for peace on the ground.