The ESCWA Centre for Women, in partnership with Bahithat, is holding a “Conference on women’s legal and political gains: Reflections on the Moroccan experience and possibilities for change in Lebanon”, at the American University in Beirut (College Hall), on 23-24 November 2017.
 
For two decades now, Lebanon has been faced with the challenge of increasing women’s political participation in its interconnectedness with political reform, to empower women in society and secure their civil and political rights. Within that framework, we take note of a unique experience in the Arab World where solid and concrete steps are being taken on the road to reforming and enhancing the role of women in Morocco—a country that has historical and cultural ties to Lebanon, and which faces several social and political challenges like the ones faced by the Lebanese.
The Moroccan experience is a pioneer one in the Arabian context, presenting a complete model for reform where women and their issues occupy a pre-eminent place. This reflects the strong awareness among political stakeholders in Morocco of the importance of empowering women to successfully introduce reform and modernize the country.
This conference will provide an opportunity to create a dialogue between Moroccan and Lebanese women, and represents a pioneer attempt to create cooperation ties between two Arab countries—ties which can be extended to other Arab countries and become a model for cooperation and exchange of expertise “south-south” in the area of women’s rights and reform.