WLP Partners Discuss Strategic Directions and Campaign Tactics in Jordan

Women's rights leaders from across the globe share campaign strategies on CEDAW, Family Law, and more.

Implementing CEDAW without reservations, strengthening Security Council resolution 1325, advocating for family law reform, and shaping new nationality laws that do not discriminate against women were just a few of the topics covered over the course of three days by WLP partners. Meeting in Amman, Jordan from May 30–June 2, at the WLP Partnership’s transnational convening, women from Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East discussed the political, social, and economic challenges that their organizations are facing, and innovative approaches for bringing about justice and equality for women.

In attendance were leading women’s rights advocates from WLP partner organizations in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Brazil, Cameroon, Egypt, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, and Turkey. We explored strategies for leveraging the Partnership to advance gender equality goals, and discussed experiences mobilizing campaigns, producing learning materials, and building the capacities of women’s rights organizations. Key political and institutional challenges faced by the Partnership in the past year included state and grassroots challenges to Article 16 of the CEDAW convention (elimination of discrimination against women in marriage and family relations), discrimination against the children of mothers who marry non-nationals, increasing numbers of women and children living in poverty and with low education, increasing constraints on the freedom of NGOs to operate without government interference, and the global financial slowdown’s impact on organizations’ capacity to raise adequate funding. Moreover, organizations operating in conflict and post-conflict countries such as Afghanistan, Lebanon, Palestine, Mauritania, and Zimbabwe, are facing additional hurdles to their operations and to their organizational sustainability.

Partners exchanged experiences and key insights on the WLP peer-to-peer strategic planning program, where organizations help each other create and evaluate their multi-year strategy and sustainability plans. The program works as follows: Using a curriculum compiled and adapted by WLP, staff from one organization liaises with another organization to help facilitate its strategic planning process. Among the advantages of working with peers is that the process is guided by individuals familiar with the socio-cultural context, women’s movement, and organization’s work, and committed to the shared vision and values of the Partnership, apply a participatory and inclusive approach, and utilize a gender-lens in the analysis of progress. The WLP Partnership will continue to test and evaluate the strategic planning curriculum and program over the coming year.

WLP partners relax on a visit to Petra after three days of intense deliberations.

Security Council resolution 1325, addressing the impact of armed conflict on women and women's contributions to conflict resolution and sustainable peace, was passed nearly a decade ago. As the 10th anniversary of the resolution approaches, states are reviewing their compliance and renewing efforts to implement the resolution. At the meeting, WLP partners discussed an important and often overlooked component of 1325—its emphasis on documenting the experiences of women during conflict. From events buried deep in the past such as the stories of Japanese “comfort” women in World War II, to the more recent crimes of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, resolution 1325 is playing a critical role in documenting and educating about sexual crimes against women. For regions where the population is daily impacted by violent conflict, WLP partners discussed the importance of educating the public about the resolution. For instance, WLP’s partner in Palestine, the Women’s Affairs Technical Committee (WATC), is using the media, including radio and print news, to spread the word about 1325. WATC is also developing manuals for conflict resolution and training youth about 1325, using some of the concepts in WLP’s leadership training handbook for women, Leading to Choices.

The meeting was hosted by WLP partner Sisterhood Is Global Institute/Jordan (SIGI/J). Both SIGI/J and WLP are celebrating 10th anniversaries this year. SIGI/J also co-organized an event on women's participation in politics and conflict resolution, at which Princess Basma bint Talal was keynote speaker, and a Youth Tech Festival that brought together over 90 young women and men from across Jordan to learn new ways of using technology to advance human rights campaigns.