Syrian Women’s Rights Civil Society Conference Calls for

Gender-Sensitive Reconstruction and Inclusive Peacebuilding in Syria

Brussels, 26 June 2025

On the 24–25^th of June 2025, the Second Syrian Women’s Rights Civil Society Conference: Implementing the Common Agenda to Combat Violence Against Women and Girls and Promote Inclusive Peacebuilding in Syria was held in Brussels. Organised in the frame of the project Implementing the Common Agenda to combat VAWG and promote inclusive peace building processes in Syria  implemented by EuroMed Feminist Initiative (EFI) in partnership with Musawa, Dawlaty, and Zoom In, and funded by the European Union, the event brought together more than 60 Syrian and  international stakeholders from the European Union, the European Parliament and the Office of the Special of the United Nations Secretariat General for Syria, as well as international organisations to reaffirm the central role of women in Syria’s reconstruction and transition toward democracy, peace, and equality.

The conference provided a timely platform for representatives from over 35 Syrian women’s rights and human rights civil society organisations to collectively articulate their vision for reinforcing women´s participation and women´s rights at all levels of the reconstruction process in and for Syria: one grounded in gender equality, accountability, and equal citizenship and civic peace. The discussions were anchored in years of grassroots mobilisation, accumulation of legal and social expertise, and the ongoing implementation of the Common Agenda to Combat Violence Against Women and Girls as a Main Barrier to Women´s Participation (The Common Agenda) developed in consultations with over 250 actors across Syria in the frame of the same project.

In the opening statement, Ms. Fadia Habib, EFI Senior Syria Program Manager, stated that “this historic moment in Syria is not the end of the struggle, but the beginning of responsibility. Responsibility for ensuring that the sacrifices of the past are not erased, that tyranny is not allowed to return in any form, and that justice, equality, and dignity guide every step of the transition ahead.”

Mr. Alessio Cappellani, Head of Division for Middle East– Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the European External Action Service (EEAS) stressed the importance of turning principles into practice: “The challenge that we have now is that what is being said in the political declaration is implemented in the Syrian reality.”

 Ms. Najat Rushdi, Deputy Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Syria, acknowledged the courage and leadership of Syrian women. “The cause of Syrian women is the cause of all Arab women, of all Mediterranean women. Syrian women have always been a source of inspiration and an example to us all. Women were the first ones who took the streets and called for political and civic rights.”

Throughout the two days of the conference, the participants discussed most urgent issues linked to the role and action of women’s rights and women-led organisations in promoting and building civic peace, in addressing transitional justice and accountability from gender perspective, and in advocating for gender sensitive constitution and legislation as a pre-condition to effectively addressing VAWG, enabling women’s participation and thus building sustainable peace in Syria.