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SDG 5: Gender equality in the the Middle East and North Africa

Publicado el 19 de mayo 2021

As part of the series of conferences on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) organized by Casa Árabe, on the upcoming date of May 19 we will be analyzing Goal 5, which seeks gender equality and the empowerment of women. The debate will be broadcast live for all audiences on our YouTubeand Facebook Live channels. Written in terms of “Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls,” SDG5 is one of the most important for the Middle East and North Africa. The reason is that, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report (2021), the region has the largest gender gap in the world (at around 40%), and ten of its countries rank among the bottom 15 on the list. Despite undeniable advancements attained in recent decades, it is impossible to speak of a homogeneous situation either between or within countries. Furthermore, the coexistence of certain factors at the present time cast doubt on these outcomes and highlights their fragility. In particular, the region is suffering from widespread public discontent, the rise of ultra-conservative movements, the spread of armed conflicts and, for more than a year now, COVID-19. All of these circumstances have raised the risks for women, who are more exposed than ever to violence, disease, premature wedlock and, on the whole, to their definitive relegation to the status of second-class citizens. What other challenges will be faced by those who strive for the effective, robust implementation of SDG5? At this event, we will be joined by three speakers who discuss gender issues in the Middle East and North Africa region: Lina Abirafeh, an expert on the prevention of and responses to gender violence in humanitarian and emergency contexts, Sama’a Al-Hamdani founder and executive director of the Yemen Cultural Institute for Heritage & Arts, and Asma Khalifa, an activist and researcher in the field of human rights, women and youth empowerment. The session will be moderated by Olivia Orozco, Casa Árabe’s Economics and Training Coordinator. Lina Abirafeh is the Executive Director of the Arab Institute for Women (AiW) at the Lebanese American University (LAU). Lina completed her PhD at the London School of Economics (LSE) and, on the basis of her research, published “Gender and International Aid in Afghanistan: The Politics and Effects of Intervention.” Abirafeh is a board member at several organizations (SheDecides, Forced Migration Review, Society of Gender Professionals and Greenpeace MENA, as well as others). In 2018, she was one of two Arab women included on the list “Gender Equality Top 100: The Most Influential People in Global Policy,” on which she was named again in 2019. She has recently focused her work on the need for a feminist response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on Arab women and girls. Asma Khalifa is a Libyan activist and researcher devoted to creating a structure for civil society and peace building in her country. As a non-Arab, Amazigh Libyan who grew up under Colonel Gaddafi’s rule, she witnessed the negative impact of discrimination and violence against women. In 2016, she was awarded with the Luxembourg Peace Prize and a year later was named one of the “100 Most Influential Young Africans” at the Africa Youth Awards. Khalifa is also a co-founder of the Tamazight Women’s Movement, a group for thought and action which works on gender equality and research about indigenous women in Libya and North Africa. Sama’a Al-Hamdani is the founder and executive director of the Yemen Cultural Institute for Heritage & Arts. As an art curator, she has been concerned with recovering the unique art forms and heritage of Yemen. In August 2019, she took part in a pilot program involving women in conflict (Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship), which focused on “The Arts as a Tool for Peacebuilding.” At present, she is a non-resident analyst at the Middle East Institute (MEI), whose main work deals with Yemen’s political dynamics. Prior to joining MEI, she was a visiting researcher at Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS), specializing in Transitional Justice, and a researcher at the Yemen-headquartered Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies (SCSS). She has had articles published by Arab world and Western media and groups of experts, including Al-Monitor, the Lawfare blog, Brookings Institution, The National (UAE), MENAsource (Atlantic Council Blog), Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Fikra Forum, The Middle East Institute Journal, Yemen Observer and the Yemen Times, as well as others. More info: https://en.casaarabe.es/event/sdg-5-gender-equality-in-the-arab-world

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The Syrian Refugee Crisis: Socio-economic impact and humanitarian aid

Casa Árabe and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), with the cooperation of Acción contra el Hambre (Action against Hunger) and Save the Children, have organized a round table discussion titled “The Regional Dimension of the Syrian Refugee Crisis (I): Socio-economic impact and humanitarian aid.” The objective was to analyze and make evident the regional dimension of the refugee crisis caused by the Syrian conflict, as well as the socio-economic impact it is having on the neighboring countries. It included interventions by Michael Kingsley-Nyinah, director of the UNRWA office in Syria; Jean-Raphäel Poitou, geographic director for the Middle East at Acción contra el Hambre (Action against Hunger); David del Campo, director of International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid at Save the Children, and a representative of Doctors Without Borders (pending confirmation). The debate was moderated by the journalist Carla Fibla. More information: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/the-syrian-refugee-crisis-socio-economic-impact-and-humanitarian-aid

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Geopolitics and Arab Societies: Keys to upheaval

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Publicado el 22 de octubre 2015
The sacred art of Kufic calligraphy: an aesthetic reflection

Valérie González, an expert on Islamic visual culture, gave this conference in Casa Árabe. One of the most important forms of artistic expression in Islam is Kufic calligraphy. It was precisely in this form of writing that God’s word in the Qur’an was taken down with devotion at the beginnings of Islam’s history. Valérie González analyzed the role played by writing and calligraphy, and more specifically Kufic writing, as artistic paradigms in Islamic logocentrism at this conference. She examined masterpieces of Kufic calligraphy used in different media, such as books, architecture and objects created by artists, to show how the sacred human act of setting down Divine Revelation in writing gave rise to a sublimating visualization that transcended beyond just religious art. A special emphasis was placed on the Samanid ceramics of the tenth and eleventh centuries, whose wonderful calligraphic decoration blurs the border between the ordinary and the extraordinary, so deeply rooted within the West’s aesthetic consciousness. More info: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/the-sacred-art-of-kufic-calligraphy-an-aesthetic-reflection

Publicado el 22 de octubre 2015
#ArabSpring four years later. Session 4

Seminar on “Citizen entrepreneurship, political participation and artistic expression among Arab youths.” SESSION 4: ARTISTIC EXPRESSION AND CULTURAL MANIFESTATIONS “Creativity and spaces for freedom.” Malu Halasa, writer and editor of the book “Syria Speaks” “The walls speak: art in the streets.” Anahi Alviso, a researcher at the Centre Français d’Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales de Sanaa (CEFAS) “People’s theater and collective memory.” Jaouad Essounani, director of the company Dabateatr Moderated by: Nuria Medina, Coordinator of Culture and New Media, Casa Árabe More information: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/arabspring-cuatro-anos-despues

Publicado el 17 de abril 2015
#ArabSpring four years later. Session 3

Seminar on “Citizen entrepreneurship, political participation and artistic expression among Arab youths.” SESSION 3: MOVEMENTS AND SOCIAL DYNAMICS “The importance of discontent: Arab faces and perceptions of injustice.” Middle East Center, associate researcher, Carnegie-Middle East Center “Activism and human rights.” Mohammed al Maskati, consultant and defender of Human Rights, The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights “Mental health in countries affected by conflicts.” Sally Toma, psychologist, therapist and activist. Kazeboon Moderated by: Leila Nachawati, a professor of Communication at the Universidad Carlos III and co-founder of the portal Syria Untold. More information: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/arabspring-cuatro-anos-despues

Publicado el 17 de abril 2015