Women’s meaningful participation in peace processes builds lasting peace
Nada Aswad, founder and director of the Syrian organization Smile of Hope for Development and member of the Syrian Women Advisory Board (WAB), has been advocating for the participation of women in political and peace talks in Syria all her life. Through her experience and work on the ground, including as a member of WAB, she is committed to bringing together women political leaders with different views to discuss and iron out differences that would hinder the progress of the wider peace talks. “It is important that female political leaders from different parties come together to discuss and reach consensus on specific policies, so that they can keep focusing on the bigger picture and goal—namely, to build peace together,” she says.
Nada is also looking to promote women’s participation in peace processes beyond Syria and has been calling on the international community to allow everyone to join in the peace conversation, especially women and young people. “We need the political participation of women as they are the ones who bring our needs and demands to the table and make sure they are discussed and addressed,” she says. “Women are the only ones who can provide solutions for our problems.”
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