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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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II Foro Elcano sobre Terrorismo Global I. Terrorism, insurgency and its reflection on the Internet

Primera jornada del II Foro Elcano de Terrorismo Global, dedicado a "Las transformaciones recientes del terrorismo global" y organizado por el Real Instituto Elcano con la colaboración de Casa Árabe y la Embajada de Estados Unidos en España. Esta sesión tuvo lugar el 17 de noviembre de 2014 en Casa Árabe en Madrid. Este primer panel fue moderado por Carmen González Enríquez, investigadora principal y directora del Observatorio de Imagen de España (OIE), Real Instituto Elcano, y versó sobre el terrorismo en Oriente Medio y el yihadismo en Internet. Participaron Assaf Moghadam, Director of Academic Affairs, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya (Israel) con su intervención titulada "La interacción entre terrorismo, insurgencia y Guerra civil en Oriente Medio" y Manuel R. Torres (a partir minuto 24 15"), profesor titular, responsable del Área de Ciencia Política y de la Administración, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, con una intervención sobre "La evolución del terrorismo yihadista y su reflejo en Internet". Más información: http://www.casaarabe.es/eventos-arabes/show/ii-foro-elcano-de-terrorismo-global

Publicado el 18 de diciembre 2014
Syria: geopolitical struggle and humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East

Casa Árabe and the Embassy of Holland in Madrid organized, the 9th december 2014, this conference, which included the participation of Eduardo López Busquets, General Director of Casa Árabe; Kees van Rij, the Ambassador of Holland in Madrid; Marcel Kurpershoek, Ambassador, and John McHugo, a writer and expert on the Middle East. In order to attempt to understand the status of affairs in Syria, one must bear in mind the major geo-strategic interests that the Middle East has generated since the last century. During this conference, the emphasis was placed on some of these factors, and two notable personages, Marcel Kupershoek, a Dutch diplomat with a great deal of professional experience in the Middle East, and Britain’s John McHugo, a scholar of the Arab world who is very knowledgeable about the Middle East, gave their opinion on the topic. More information: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/syria-geopolitical-struggle-and-humanitarian-catastrophe-in-the-middle-east

Publicado el 18 de diciembre 2014
A trip down the Nile, from Hollywood to Arab cinema

This conference was held as the opening activity of a special series of events which Casa Árabe dedicates to the memory of Alberto Elena, a professor of Audiovisual Communication at the Universidad Carlos III in Madrid, who closely collaborated with Casa Árabe, and to whom the institution is dedicating a series of film screenings in December and January. The event was presented by Eduardo López Busquets, the General Director of Casa Árabe, and included attendance by representatives of the Cervantes Institute, the Filmoteca Española, the Cines del Sur Film Festival, and the Cordoba African Film Festival, as well as others. This conference by Viola Shafik allowed us to get an overview of the essential films in the history of Arab cinema, which Alberto Elena worked so hard to increase awareness about. This talk made it possible to get a closer look at the changes in the film industry in these countries and their ideological and aesthetic features, from the colonial era up to the modern day.

Publicado el 11 de diciembre 2014
Un viaje por el Nilo, desde Hollywood al cine árabe

Esta conferencia se celebró el 4 de diciembre de 2014 como actividad inaugural de una programación especial que Casa Árabe dedica a la memoria de Alberto Elena, catedrático de Comunicación Audiovisual en la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, que colaboró estrechamente con Casa Árabe y a quien la institución le dedica un ciclo de cine en diciembre y enero. La conferencia de Viola Shafik permitió transitar por muchas de las películas esenciales de la historia del cine árabe, y que Alberto Elena tanto se empeñó en dar a conocer. Esta charla nos acerca a la evolución de la industria del cine en esos países y de sus características ideológicas o estéticas, desde la época colonial hasta nuestros días.

Publicado el 11 de diciembre 2014
Recognition of the Palestinian State

Mohammed Barakeh, Secretary General of the Hadash Party, presented this conference. Casa Árabe and the Diplomatic Mission of Palestine in Spain organized this event, with the title of “Towards a Fair Solution: Recognition of the Palestinian State,” which, in addition to Barakeh’s speech, included interventions by Mohammed Haneche, the Ambassador of Algeria and Dean of the Arab ambassadors in Spain; Musa Amer Odeh, Ambassador of the Diplomatic Mission of Palestine in Spain, and Eduardo López Busquets, the General Director of Casa Árabe. More information: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/recognition-of-the-palestinian-state

Publicado el 11 de diciembre 2014