Network Discusses Women’s Rights at Tunis Workshop

Senior members of liberal Arab parties and women activists came together in Tunis on October 18-19, 2008 for a workshop entitled The Role of Women in Political Parties in the Arab World. The event was the first activity of the Network of Arab Liberals in Tunisia and was cosponsored by the Parti Social Liberal (PSL) of Tunisia in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty (FNF). Among the participants were political leaders from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Palestine. Numerous members of the women wing of the host party PSL attended the event.

At their meeting, the delegates discussed the socio-cultural, legal and constitutional frameworks of gender issues in the Arab world, the status quo of women’s participation in political parties and strategies to enhance equal opportunities in liberal parties of the region. 
Prof. Salem Elabyad, Egyptian writer Sekina Foaad and Ms. Rawda Alsiby Director of the PSL woman's association

The delegates agreed that the Arab world is far away from achieving gender equality.  In the conclusions adopted at the end of the workshop the group states: "A large number of women in the Arab countries are unaware of their rights." The participants lament "the growing fundamentalist currents that oppose women’s rights and threaten the existing social and political benefits by imposing condescending views of women".

In the end, the NAL-representatives formulated recommendations and vowed to put these into practice in their own organizations. Among these are:

- Strengthening the role of women in civil society and encouraging women to join and participate in political parties

- Introduction of the quota system in liberal political parties to ensure as a transitional step fair and active presentation in political decision making

- Development of strategies and training programs aimed at enhancing the role of women in leadership positions and political elections

- Evaluation of women’s participation in NAL member parties and elections

The Network furthermore vowed to work for the complete equality between men and women in Arab constitutions and related legislations and to aspire for the reform of family laws in order to achieve gender equality and achieve generally accepted modern international standards.

"The women’s workshop featured high-level discussions with both academic and legislative contributions to the debate about liberal women in the Arab region, including a concrete plan of implementation", Mohamed Tamaldou, the President of the Network of Arab Liberals said in a statement.

Read the full text of the recommendations titled "The Role of Women in Political Parties in the Arab World".
 
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