The Syrian Women’s Political Movement (SWPM) would like to thank all those who contributed to accomplishing this publication, individuals and entities, namely the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), and all SWPM members and staff who assisted with the national consultations.

This work would not have been possible without the Syrian women who participated in the consultations and who, despite the dire conditions, were committed to this work to ensure that the voices of Syrian women are heard.

This paper seeks to understand the realities women face in Syria, their perspectives on the economic impact of de facto partition, and the imbalances caused by regional isolation. It also examines the potential for overcoming this isolation to achieve shared economic interests.

The study analyzes twelve focused discussion sessions organized by the Syrian Women’s Political Movement. These sessions were held virtually in September and October and involved 120 Syrian women from diverse regions within Syria. Participants represented a variety of cultural, religious, sectarian, and regional backgrounds and differing political views. They also varied in age, marital status, displacement experiences, and professional roles, including civil society workers and beneficiaries. The women were divided into focus groups, each consisting of ten participants. The primary objective was to draw general conclusions and provide recommendations.

The discussion sessions were geographically distributed across areas controlled by different security and political authorities in Syria:

• Five groups from regions under Syrian regime control (Sweida, Daraa, Damascus, Tartus, and Salamiyeh).
• Seven groups from regions outside regime control: three in areas governed by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (Raqqa, Qamishli, and Deir Ezzor) and four in northwest Syria (Al-Bab, Afrin, Idlib, and the Atmeh camps).

National Consultation Team: Lina Wafai, Rowaida Kanaan, Sabiha Khalil, Salma Al-Sayyad, Wejdan Nassif

Researcher: Hawazen Khaddaj

Disclaimer: The work on this round has ended, and the policy paper was drafted before December 8, which is before the fall of the Syrian regime.

To read the paper, please click here