Speaking at the first Kurdish Women’s Conference in North and East Syria, commonly known as Rojava, Ilham Ehmed, co-chair of the Foreign Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), stated that Syria was going through a “construction process” and warned that women must define their role in this process or else risk facing serious challenges.
The conference, held under the slogan ‘Achieving Kurdish national unity under the leadership of Kurdish women’, was held on 23 March in Azadi Park in Qamishli (Qamişlo) with the participation of political parties, intellectuals, writers, artists, journalists, women’s organisations and movements from the AANES and women from Aleppo and Damascus.
At the end of the conference, a final declaration including 12 points was read out in Kurdish by Kongra Star Democratic Alliance and Relations Spokesperson and Preparatory Committee member Rîhan Temo, in which the women taking part in the conference declared that the conference had focused primarily on the difficulties Kurdish women face in the political sphere, especially the disadvantages of the “male-dominated nation-state system and patriarchal hegemony”.
Delegates emphasised the crucial role of women in actively participating in efforts to build a democratic society, aimed at achieving freedom, equality, and justice in Syria. “Our conference stresses that the participation of women in all dialogue processes in Syria should not be less than 50 percent in order to establish a democratic Syria,” delegates stated in a joint statement after the conference.
The Syrian Kurdish women also strongly rejected the first draft constitution of the transitional government in Syria, signed by Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa (Julani) on 13 March, stating:
“The position of women on this issue is clear; this constitution completely denies women’s rights and even paves the way for the further oppression of women through Sharia law.”
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Delegates called for women to take a leading role in a Kurdish National Congress, uniting various Kurdish groups, organisations, parties, and individuals. They also proposed holding a Third National Kurdish Women’s Congress in North and East Syria, inviting women from all Kurdish-majority regions, following previous congresses in southeast Turkey (2010) and Iraqi Kurdistan (2012).
Additionally, they advocated for a National Congress in Syria, representing all Kurdish groups and organisations, emphasising that a democratic, pluralistic, and decentralised Syria is crucial for securing women’s rights, with a focus on establishing Democratic Confederalism across the country.
The declaration emphasised the role of women in Syria, stressing the importance of building democratic alliances to safeguard women’s rights and ensure their inclusion in the new Syrian constitution, while also leading efforts to combat all forms of violence against women, including providing support to victims.
It highlighted that “legitimate defence is both a duty and a right for all women” and underscored the necessity of educational programs to help women advance in areas like politics and economics.
The final declaration also highlighted the dire humanitarian situation of refugees in Syria, stating that efforts must be made to ensure their safe return to their homes, along with additional financial compensation.
