The Statement of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement from Damascus
- updated: January 9, 2025
On Wednesday, January 8, 2025, the Syrian Women’s Political Movement held a press conference in Damascus under the title: “The Statement of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement from Damascus.” The event was attended by approximately 300 individuals, including representatives of international and local media, independent journalists, political representatives from Syrian entities, independent politicians, as well as numerous women’s and feminist organizations and civil society groups. Additionally, around 50 members of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement participated, coming from various regions within Syria and from the diaspora.
The conference aimed to:
● Introduce the Syrian Women’s Political Movement, its programs, and its political vision.
● Present the “National Consultations” project, which has conducted consultative sessions with Syrian women from various regions within Syria since 2018. These sessions have resulted in policy papers addressing significant political topics concerning the general Syrian public from Syrian women’s perspectives.
● Present the “Women’s Political Path to Building Peace” project, which focuses on national Syrian dialogue. This project produced a white paper addressing contentious issues among Syrian opposition political entities. Between May and November 2024, the Syrian Women’s Political Movement held open and in-depth dialogues with 12 political entities inside Syria and abroad, striving to establish broader national consensus on controversial issues regarding Syria’s future. Agreements were reached on several topics, while others remain under discussion.
● Emphasize the necessity of women’s effective presence in decision-making positions to ensure genuine representation of their interests and aspirations and to guarantee gender equality in all aspects of political, social, and economic life.
The conference commenced with a moment of silence to honor the souls of martyrs and members of the movement who believed in the values of freedom and democracy and fought to achieve a free and democratic Syria, Those who passed away before witnessing Syria after the fall of the Assad regime. Like Dr. Bassma Kodmani, feminist activist Fardos Al-Bahra, Sahar Al-Huwaija, Walaa Ahmedou, and Heba Haj Aref, who was tragically assassinated due to her political activism.
Several members of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement delivered remarks during the event, including Salma Sayyad, Saba Hakim, Lina Wafai, and Wejdan Nassif. As well as members Alice Mufrej, Hanan Zaher Al-Din, Sanaa Mustafa, and Shams Antar. The conference was facilitated by Alma Salem, the Executive Director of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement.
During the conference, Rawia Al-Shammar, a member of the General Secretariat of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement, received a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the “Young Women Politicians Forum” from the “Youth Empowerment Platform.” The session concluded with several media interviews with members of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement.
The Syrian Women’s Political Movement was founded in Paris in October 2017 and currently consists of approximately 200 members distributed across various regions in Syria and 19 countries worldwide. The movement unites Syrian feminist politicians and political activists from diverse intellectual, political, and social backgrounds with varied experiences. The Syrian Women’s Political Movement advocates for freedom, justice, and dignity for every citizen in Syria, defends the rights of Syrian women, and works to empower Syrian women and ensure their active participation in public affairs and decision-making positions.