Arab League urges protecting women in armed conflicts

CAIRO – 2 November 2017: The Arab League (AL) on Thursday called for developing methods for dealing with the issues of peace and security and improving mechanisms to stop violence against women and protect them during armed conflicts.

The announcement came during an AL consultative meeting that was held under the rubric of “Tasks of the Emergency Committee for the Protection of Women in Armed Conflict”, and in collaboration with the regional office of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

Delivering a speech at the meeting, AL Assistant Secretary General for Social Affairs Badr Eddin al Alali said that the Arab women suffer from unprecedented challenges because of security, political and economic situation.

All kinds of violence and terrorism, in addition to the ongoing conflicts have taken their toll on the Arab women psychologically and physically, he added.

Al Alali also demanded allowing women to participate in peace-building and reconstruction processes in Arab communities.

The meeting sheds light on the Arab and international commitment to protecting women and girls from repercussions of wars and armed conflicts in the Arab region, he noted.

On this regard, Al Alali asserted that the AL has prepared a regional strategy and a plan of action on the protection of Arab women.

The regional strategy and the action plan focus on supporting the effective participation of women in all spheres, he noted.