ESCWA and the Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW) at LAU in partnership with the Danish Centre for Research on Women and Gender (KVINFO) held the international conference on “Prioritizing Women, Peace and Security on the Arab Agenda”  from 8 to 10 August in Beirut.
 
Falling in a series of current discussions in the region on Women, Peace and Security, the conference concluded by launching the Beirut Call for Action which urged Arab States, the United Nations, the League of Arab States, civil society, policymakers, and practitioners to resource, action, and embed its recommendations. The conference acted as a forum to stimulate new thinking and create a new platform on involving women in the peace processes in the region and exchange experiences and lessons learnt in this regard.
 
Participants called for introducing a new paradigm that promotes a culture of peace, active protection of women from violence, as well as tackles issues of violent extremism, radical religious discourse, and political repression. This must include documenting the experiences of women in peace and security, women who engage in peace building processes, and women involved in violence. They recommended expanding knowledge on militarized masculinities as the dominant paradigm in war, as well as the gender divide in the politics of conflict and peace-making, and how to engage men in women, peace, and security issues as allies and advocates of equality and gender justice. They also called for promoting and supporting multi-stakeholder partnerships to include traditional and non-traditional partners, such as academia, media, non-state political actors, and the private sector to promote peace achievements and tolerance.
 
The international conference was an opportunity to enrich and expand the debate on issues relating to women, peace, and security across the Arab region, with particular emphasis on strengthening Arab women’s participation in peace-building processes across the region, as well as their successes, limitations, lessons learnt and the way forward.
 
For more information: 
https://www.unescwa.org/Women-Peace-Security-Kicks-Off
https://www.unescwa.org/Women-Peace-Security-Issues-Beirut-Plan-Action