On October 28, 2025, the Syrian Women’s Political Movement organized a high-level discussion session hosted by UN Women at its headquarters in New York, under the title: “Our Path Toward Equality, Justice, and Democracy.” The event was co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Spain, and the United Kingdom to the United Nations, as well as by UN Women. It was further supported by several international and regional feminist civil society organizations, including: Artificial Intelligence Projects, Badael, the Arab Region Women in Politics Coalition, the Center for Civil Society and Democracy, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, Amal Center for Advocacy and Recovery, Inclusive Security, the Peace Track Initiative, Politics4Her, the Syrian Female Journalists Network, the Syrian Women’s Network, Windows of Hope, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), and Women Now for Development.

The session aimed to shed light on the challenges faced by Syrian women within the current political and social landscape, and to discuss pathways to strengthen their participation and guarantee their rights within a just and inclusive political transition that is gender-responsive and contributes to building a democratic Syria based on the rule of law and equality.

The session addressed several main themes, including:

• Political transition from a feminist perspective
• Inclusive peace processes and combating hate speech: Reviving dialogue while confronting violence and polarization
• Protection of civilians: Upholding international law to safeguard women and vulnerable groups
• Combating gender-based violence: Advancing justice and supporting survivors, and the essential role of women in peacebuilding

The session opened with remarks by Mariam Jalabi, a co-founding member of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement, followed by interventions from Wejdan Nassif, political activist and co-founder of the Movement; Doris Awwad, human rights defender; Waad al-Kateab, filmmaker and co-founder of Action for Sama; and Samira Zureir, human rights defender and co-founder of the Syrian Women’s Network. The speakers presented perspectives on the role of women in rebuilding Syria, achieving transitional justice, and confronting gender-based violence.

The discussion was moderated by Paivi Kannisto, Head of Peace and Security at UN Women, and included statements from several state representatives, among them:

• H.E. Ambassador Ibrahim Olabi, Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations
• H.E. Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen, Permanent Representative of Denmark to the United Nations
• H.E. Ambassador Fergal Mythen, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations
• H.E. Ambassador Héctor Gómez, Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations
• H.E. Ambassador Aude Maio-Coliche, EU Ambassador for Gender Equality
• H.E. Ambassador Konrad Helmut Ertz von Straussenburg, Germany’s Ambassador for Human Rights and Global Health
• H.E. Ambassador Jay Dharmadhikari, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations
• H.E. Ambassador Anne-Françoise Dostert, Deputy Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the United Nations

The session concluded with remarks from Mohammad Naciri, Head of UN Women Office.

All participants affirmed the importance of supporting Syrian women and ensuring their meaningful participation in decision-making processes, emphasizing that achieving justice, equality, and democracy in Syria is not possible without the inclusion of women in all stages of the political process.