Annotation:
In April 2012, the Association for Women's
Rights in Development (AWID) and the
Women's Learning Partnership (WLP)
collaborated to raise awareness and
support for women's rights activism in the
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
region. This report synthesizes and
presents the discussions of MENA scholars
and activists from pre-meeting
consultations and Forum Strategy Sessions
dedicated to the MENA region prior to the
AWID 2012 World Forum. Over 100 women's
rights leaders from 18 MENA countries as
well as from sub-Saharan Africa, Latin
America, Europe, and South Asia
participated in these sessions. The report
contextualizes the issues and challenges
facing women in the MENA in leveraging
human rights in the face of political
transitions. The report identifies
significant challenges facing the region,
including the fragmentation of women's
movements and other civil society actors,
as well as underdeveloped communication.
Potential solutions to these problems
include actively discussing the role of
women during democratic transitions,
engaging support from the general public,
and broadening collaboration with other
feminist movements. The report includes a
list of participants by country and
organization.