ESCR-Net

Arab Region’s BriefAchievements and Challenges

CWS- UN March 18/2015Islah Jad: Qatar University/Bir Zeit University

Arab Region: General Background

• Socio, economic, cultural, and political variations

• Highest percentage of displaced and refugees in the world.

• Wars and conflicts as the ‘norm’ (Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Lebanon..etc).

• Youth crisis.

Beijing Platform for action:contribution to advance women’s ESCR and substantive equality in the

Arab Region

• it helped in:• Raising awareness on women’s rights and

issues at the level of governments and non-government.

• Introduce important legal reforms• Institutionalizing gender issues and the

subsequent policy formulation• The spread of many women’s organisations

Change on Normative Frameworks and Economic Policies

• Universal platforms cannot change structural problems:

• Important changes in wealthy countries but cultural constraints and weak human resources.

• Rising in youth unemployment and growing social gaps:

• Jordan 22.2%, Bahrain 84%, Tunisia 22%, Algeria 16.3%, Comoros 47%, Iraq 20.7%, Oman 38.5%, Palestine 35%, Egypt 24%, Yemen 60%.

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Progresses and Gaps: 20 years after

• Endorsing CEDAW but with some reservations.• Introduce some legal reforms: Labour,

maternity, family law, penal code, political participation, nationality...etc.

• Great advancement in health and education.• Economic empowerment (individual approach)• Gendered budgeting

Progresses and Gaps: 20 years after

• Wars and conflicts and resource distraction:• Regression after progression at all levels:• Health, education, national mechanisms, rights, poverty,

violence, loss of homes and families..etc.• The cooptation of the rights discourse by governments

and non-governments organisations (Bahrain, Egypt..etc)• Growing regional and social gaps.• More NGOs and weaker movements. • The political use of women’s and human rights

organisations.

Lessons Learned and Women’s ESCR in the Coming Decade

• Integrated approach to women’s rights.• International humanitarian law and Beijing

Platform were not entirely clear on displaced women and refugees.

• Focus on monitoring and observatories.• Invest in women’s power and movements.• Mechanism to enforce government’s

accountability. • Focus on women’s education in conflict areas.