Outcomes of women’s conference… 17 recommendations to strengthen women’s rights, equality

The activities of the Women’s Conference, held at Azadi Hall in the city of Qamishlo under the slogan “Together to Guarantee Women’s Rights in the Syrian Constitution,” concluded with a final statement. The conference was organized by Kongra Star and attended by a wide range of political figures, women’s organizations, and community groups.

The final statement was revealed in Arabic by Kongra Star Coordination member Berivan Khaled, while the Kurdish version was revealed by Zainab Mohammed, a member of the Committee on Relations and Democratic Political Agreements of Kongra Star.

The statement affirmed that the conference represents a significant turning point in the path toward a political solution in Syria, noting that women’s freedom and a democratic society form the cornerstone of a new social contract that would end authoritarianism and oppressive centralization.

The main outcomes and recommendations of the conference are as follows:

-Constitutionally enshrine the achievements of the “Women’s Revolution” in North and East Syria and across the country as sovereign rights, and embed the fundamental values of equality in the Syrian constitution to safeguard these historic gains against any future political or legislative regression.

-Adopt full parity (50%) as a mandatory structural principle and the sole legal standard for occupying all positions in sovereign state institutions, executive, legislative, and judicial, thereby ending monopolies over political decision-making and ensuring gender justice in governance.

-Constitutionally institutionalize the system of “democratic decentralization” as a political and legal framework to integrate the institutions of the Autonomous Administration into the structure of the Syrian state, transforming them into self-governing units with full legislative and executive powers, while preserving the distinctiveness of the women-led democratic experience as an inspiring national model.

-Recognize the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) as a fundamental and integral pillar of Syria’s national defense system, while fully preserving their organizational and leadership independence as a force protecting society and safeguarding security against terrorism and all forms of exclusionary ideology.

-Enact democratic laws guaranteeing the licensing and legal recognition of all political parties, organizations, and women’s movements representing the popular will in the Autonomous Administration regions, and prohibit any targeting or security restrictions against them under the framework of the new Syrian state.

-Introduce strict legislation criminalizing all forms of hate speech and incitement against women, alongside legal mechanisms to hold accountable those who engage in defamation or organized campaigns targeting women leaders and pioneers with the aim of excluding them from public life or distorting their political and social roles.

-Establish a “Women’s Rights Protection Authority” with constitutional powers granting it veto rights over any law or legislation that contradicts the principle of equality, and mandate it to oversee the alignment of all national legislation with international conventions.

-Officially and fully recognize the educational curricula of the Autonomous Administration, as well as existing health and service systems, and consider linguistic and cultural pluralism (Kurdish, Syriac, Arabic, Armenian) a sacred civic right managed by society within its decentralized framework without central interference.

-Enact a unified civil personal status law inspired by the “Women’s Law” applied in the Autonomous Administration, abolishing all discriminatory laws, ensuring protection from all forms of violence, and guaranteeing women full sovereignty over their civil and personal affairs.

-Guarantee freedom of movement, residence, and work in women’s, civil, and political spheres for all women and activists across Syrian provinces without security or administrative restrictions, and prohibit all forms of persecution or harassment related to public activity, ensuring the cohesion of women’s struggle and strengthening social and political ties nationwide.

-Secure the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees, abductees, and forcibly disappeared persons held due to their political or civil activities, and pursue serious and systematic efforts to reveal the fate of the missing, treating this issue as a humanitarian cause beyond negotiation and a national and moral obligation preceding any political settlement.

-Establish a comprehensive and gender-sensitive transitional justice process that prioritizes accountability for perpetrators of violations, ends the culture of impunity, and ensures full psychological and material reparations for victims and survivors of war.

-Commit internationally and nationally to the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons and refugees to their original homes, and take immediate action to eliminate the effects of forced demographic change.

-Build a cross-affiliation women’s network to assert the representation of Syrian women’s will in all international decision-making forums related to the political solution, ensuring that no social contract or constitution is drafted without full and empowered female participation.

-Draft a charter providing legal and security protection for women human rights defenders and political activists, and criminalize any interference by security agencies in independent civil or political work.

-Ensure women’s effective participation in all committees drafting the new constitution, to guarantee constitutional provisions that protect the rights of all ethnic and religious components and preserve pluralism as the essence of Syria’s future identity.

-Secure the independence of economic resources allocated to women’s projects within the state’s general budget, ensuring women’s economic empowerment as an integral part of their political and social autonomy.

-The statement reaffirmed a firm commitment to these outcomes as an indivisible roadmap for struggle, alongside mobilizing political, diplomatic, and legal means to ensure their integration into the core of the Syrian constitution, and building national and international alliances to deliver this vision to decision-making circles.

The statement concluded: “Preserving the achievements of the women’s revolution and enshrining them constitutionally is an irreversible commitment. The struggle will continue to ensure the protection of Syrian women’s rights, safeguard their dignity, and strengthen their leading role in guiding Syria toward comprehensive democratic transformation.”

ANHA