Speakers at the Doha Briefing hosted by Doha International Institute for Family Studies in New York.
DOHA: The Doha International Institute for Family Studies and Development (DIIFSD) recently hosted its annual Doha Briefing, entitled ‘Arab Spring: A chance or a risk for women’s rights’, in New York.
The event addressed the Arab Spring and its impact on women’s rights. It was held during the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations headquarters.
DIIFSD has a special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
The briefing was chaired by Noor Al Malki Al Jehani, Executive Director of DIIFSD, and featured a three-member panel of international women’s rights experts, including Dr Nadine Naber, Associate Professor in the Department of Women’s Studies, American Studies and Arab American Studies at the University of Michigan, Dr Sophie Richter-Devroe, a lecturer in gender and the Middle East studies at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at Exeter University, and Dr Rabab El Mahdi, Associate Professor of Political Science at the American University in Cairo.
“Where women’s rights are concerned, it is evident that socio-cultural attitudes have not changed at the same pace as institutional changes concerning education, employment and decision making,” said Al Malki.
“The purpose of this briefing is to discuss ideas and opinions of the panel as to why these inconsistencies might exist,” said Al Malki.
The panel’s discussions focused on the fact that gender inequality remains one of the most important challenges to human development and sustainable peace, specifically how and why many women in the Arab World continue to be marginalised from the economy, society, politics and decision-making.
Asked if she thought the Arab Spring had created better prospects for women’s rights, Dr Devroe said: “I do not think the Arab Spring has created a significant opportunity to increase women’s rights or help end sexual violence. Many of the same structural and economic issues that existed prior to the Arab Spring are still in place.”
Following the briefing, attendees were given the opportunity to pose questions directly to the panellists. Discussions included the role of education and youth empowerment in combating violence against women, and the importance of women’s participating in the political process.
The Peninsula
