British Council conference addresses women’s rights in the Middle East and North Africa
24 November 2011
Influential figures from across the Middle East and North Africa will discuss the unprecedented opportunity to improve women’s rights in the region at a 4-day conference organised by the British Council. The event will take place at Wilton Park in West Sussex from 24 – 27 November.
With national constitutions being drafted or revised across the region following the Arab Spring, the conference will look at how best to make the most of this opportunity to embed women’s rights at a constitutional level. In a series of presentations and discussions, international experts will share case examples of success stories where women’s rights have already been enshrined in constitutions, plus pitfalls to avoid.
In organising the conference, the British Council has worked with leading gender equality consultancy Shevolution.
Delegates – both female and male - will come to the UK from countries including Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. These participants come from a wide range of backgrounds and include lawyers, politicians, government officials, women’s rights campaigners, youth leaders, journalists and members of national judiciaries.
Key speakers at the conference include Susan H Williams - The Walter W. Foskett Professor of Law and the Director of the Center for Constitutional Democracy at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
The conference is part of the British Council’s global work to build trust for the UK through education, English and the arts. The organisation works across the Middle East and North Africa to help improve skills and the development of stronger civil societies, and has been active in the region since the 1930s. This event is part of the British Council’s response to the Arab Spring – which has resulted in a huge demand in the region for links with the wider world, especially through training in English and other vital skills.
Martin Davidson, British Council Chief Executive, who will speak on the opening day of the conference, said: “The role played by young people in the recent upheavals in the Arab world has caught the attention of the world. Less noticed, but potentially every bit as far-reaching, are the changes effected and sought by women – of all ages. Across the Middle East and North Africa, women are voicing thoughts on how their countries are run, asking to make a greater contribution to their societies, and protesting against injustice. An extraordinary opportunity is now emerging. With constitutions in many countries being rewritten or reframed, there’s a chance to enshrine those aspirations into law. The British Council has been working for many years with Middle Eastern partners to improve women’s access to education and economic benefit, and I am delighted that we are trusted by lawyers, drafters, activists and others from the region to convene this important discussion on constitutional rights.”
Layla El-Wafi, London-based Libyan lawyer and women’s rights activist, who will be attending the conference, said: “Women in Libya are very qualified and have long been working in the public domain as professionals and civil servants. But early indicators from the interim government is that Libyan women are not getting as much representation as they are capable of and are getting squeezed out of the decision-making despite recognition by NTC Chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil that women played a key role in the success of the revolution and promised to ensure they remain involved going forward. The institutions and processes set up and appointments made in the coming years in Libya will be key to the development of the country but particularly to the status and role of women.”
Judge Ihssan Barakat, Jordanian Chief of Court and one of the participants attending the conference from Jordan, said: “The endeavour to achieve gender equality in the justice system needs to be approached holistically. Achieving formal legislative equality is only a small part of the whole, and perhaps not the most pressing problem we must tackle. Far more widespread and insidious is the informal discrimination against women in the legal system. Insufficient representation, judgment based on gender stereotyping, insufficient protection of female victims and the upholding of unspoken entrenched biases in procedure are some of the most difficult of the problems in our legal systems that we tackle today. However, it is only in tackling this unseen aspect of our systems that we can begin to achieve real success in delivering true justice.”
Maysoon al Damluji, Iraqi politician – also attending – said: “The international community needs to support women after the Arab Spring. The fear is that women will lose rather than gain rights. The important thing is for countries to gain the values of democracy such as human rights and women’s rights, not just the right to vote.”
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Mark Moulding in the British Council Press Office on 0207 389 4889 or mark.moulding@britishcouncil.org
Notes to Editors
Delegates from across the MENA region and British Council spokespeople are available for interview.
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide. We work in over 100 countries in the arts, education and English and in 2010/11 we engaged face to face with 30 million people and reached 578 million. We have 6,800 staff worldwide. Our total turnover in 2010/11 was £693 million, of which our grant-in-aid from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was £190 million. The remainder was generated through trading activities such as English language teaching. For every £1 of taxpayer money invested we earn £2.65 in additional income. For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org
