Syriac Women’s Union discusses women’s empowerment at 6th conference

The sixth conference of the Syriac Women’s Union was held today in Qamishlo under the slogan “Hand in Hand, We Build the Human and the Homeland,” with the broad participation of union members and representatives of the Syriac community, as well as civil and political institutions.

The conference discussed the challenges facing women and ways to strengthen their participation in public life and decision-making positions. It also reviewed the union’s work over the past period and developed visions and strategies for the next phase.

The conference began with a minute of silence in tribute to the souls of the martyrs, followed by a speech by Syriac Women’s Union President Georgette Barsomo. She said: “The union was established around a set of clear objectives, foremost among them empowering women, raising their awareness of their rights, enhancing their participation in public life and decision-making positions, supporting education and training, protecting the Syriac language, culture and heritage, and addressing social, health and economic issues affecting women and children.”

She added: “Our broader goal was to build a woman who knows her rights and abilities, possesses the tools that enable her to rely on herself, participate in her community and assume responsibility.”

She explained that “over the past years, we have worked to turn these objectives into reality. We developed the union’s branches and programs and launched activities in training, awareness-raising, empowerment, culture, health and social work. We also focused on teaching the Syriac language and preserving heritage and identity.”

She noted that they had worked on projects and institutions serving women, children and education, in addition to numerous community initiatives that strengthened women’s presence and role.

She said the next phase requires a stronger presence for women in public life and decision-making positions.

She stressed: “Women should not be present in the public sphere while being absent from decision-making. Rather, they must be genuine partners in building institutions, shaping policies and determining their own future.”

Concluding her remarks, Georgette stressed that they want to be part of the process of building a new Syria, while remaining committed to their Syriac identity and culture and, at the same time, remaining open to all Syrian women.

A documentary highlighting the union’s key milestones and achievements was then screened. This was followed by the election of the conference presidium and a review of the report submitted by the preparatory committee, which outlined the union’s activities and events during the period between the previous conference and the sixth conference. The floor was then opened for discussion to evaluate the union’s work, the challenges it had faced and ways to address them during the next phase.

The union’s internal regulations were subsequently read out and unanimously approved following a vote among the attendees.

The conference concluded with a number of recommendations, most notably:

- Focusing on empowering Syriac women to play a role in building the future of the homeland, as they are a fundamental pillar in the advancement of society.

- Improving the educational, social and health conditions of Syriac women to ensure their better representation at all levels.

- Safeguarding and preserving the culture and language as a fundamental responsibility of Syriac women.

- Supporting Syriac women economically by activating and developing projects that would facilitate their participation in economic life.

A-H 

ANHA