On Tuesday, June 11, 2013 ICAN and IREX co-sponsored a panel and discussion on the role of women in Syria. This panel and discussion was meant to highlight the various roles that women on the ground in Syria play and what the international community can do to help them. Check out the minutes and a picture of ICAN’s Co-Founder, Sanam Naraghi Anderlini at the event.

Watch the full video here.

Learn more about IREX here.

More Than Victims: Women’s Roles in the Syrian Conflict

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

9:30AM – 11:00AM

IREX, 1275 K ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005

Panelists:

• Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, Co-Founder of the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) and Senior Fellow, MIT Center for International Studies

• Caroline Ayoub, Board Member of RO’YA Association for a Better Syria

• Rafif Jouejati, Director of the FREE-Syria Foundation

• Sarah Taylor, Executive Director of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace, and Security

Moderator: Kathy Evans, Director of the Media, Technology & Civil Society Division at IREX

MINUTES

0:00 – 0:50 mins- Kathy Evans, Moderator- Introduction

0:50 – 3:50 mins- Ambassador Bob Pearson, President of IREX- Opening Remarks

3:50 – 9:00 mins- Panelists Individual Introductions

9:00 – 10:20 mins- Kathy Evans, Moderator- Balancing Sexual Gender Based Violence with Women’s Political Participation

10:20 – 12:30 mins- Rafif Jouejati, Director of FREE-Syria Foundation- On the Ground in Syria

12:30 – 14:45 mins- Caroline Ayoub, Board Member of RO’YA Association for a Better Syria- The international media’s portrayal of Syria

14:45- 16:00 mins- Rafif Jouejati, Director of FREE-Syria Foundation- The international media’s portrayal of Syria

16:00 – 16:15 mins- Kathy Evans, Moderator- Barriers to women’s political participation in Syria

16:15 – 17:30 mins- Rafif Jouejati, Director of FREE-Syria Foundation- Social barriers to women’s political participation in Syria

17:30 – 17:50 mins- Kathy Evans, Moderator- How to achieve balance between acknowledging sexual gender based violence and women’s political participation

17:50 – 23:00 mins- Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, Co-Founder of ICAN and Senior Fellow at MIT – Women’s agency; Western engagement; Twentieth century models of peacemaking; Involving local non-violent activists in peace process

23:00 – 23:30 mins- Kathy Evans, Moderator- Women in Prison

23:30 – 27:25mins- Caroline Ayoub, Board Member of RO’YA Association for a Better Syria- Easter eggs initiative; Personal experience in prison

27:25 – 29:00 mins- Rafif Jouejati, Director of FREE-Syria Foundation- Rape and sexualized torture of men

29:00-29:30mins- Kathy Evans, Moderator-Women’s Issues and the peace process

29:30 – 33:55 mins- Sarah Taylor, Executive Director of NGOWG- Inclusion of women in peace talks; Recognizing gender in all issues; Creative spaces for women

33:55 – 34:15 mins- Kathy Evans, Moderator- Recommendations for NGOs

34:15 – 36:57 mins- Sarah Taylor, Executive Director of NGOWG- Recommendations for NGOs

36:57 – 42:00 mins- Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, Co-Founder of ICAN and Senior Fellow at MIT- Recommendations for NGOs

42:00 – 42:45 mins- Kathy Evans, Moderator-Possibility of Reconciliation

42:45 – 43:55 mins- Sarah Taylor, Executive Director of NGOWG- Reconciliation

43:55 – 46:30 mins- Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, Co-Founder ICAN and Senior Fellow at MIT-Complexity of reconciliation in Syria

46:30 – 49:10 mins- Rafif Jouejati, Director of FREE-Syria Foundation- Complexity of reconciliation in Syria

49:10 – 49:20 mins- Opening up to any last minute remarks from panelists

49:20 – 51:50mins- Sarah Taylor, Executive Director of NGOWG- International Non-violent intervention in Syria

51:50 – 53:10 mins- Rafif Jouejati, Director of FREE-Syria Foundation- Supporting the Jasmine Tent

53:10 – 54:45 mins- Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, Co-Founder of ICAN and Senior Fellow at MIT-Addressing the needs of men and women

54:45 – 55:05 mins- Caroline Ayoub, Board Member of RO’YA Association for a Better Syria- Violence as nondiscriminatory