What the Women Say: The Arab Spring & Implications for Women

ICAN’s First MENA Region Issue Brief

In the first of ICAN’s What the Women Say, MENA Region Briefs, crosscutting regional trends that threaten basic norms of democracy, equality and affect women’s abilities to participate in and influence critical decision-making processes–nationally and internationally—that will determine the course of these countries’ futures and the lives of women have been highlighted.  Beyond identifying key regional challenges and issues impacting women, the brief provides recommendations to national and international policymakers and the media on the importance of and the strategies for ensuring the participation of women in the formation of just, open, equal and democratic societies.

This regional issue brief results from in country visits and consultations with women’s rights and human rights activists, lawyers, scholars, journalists and policymakers in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco as well as broad consultations with international experts and local activists from the region, including Libya and Afghanistan.  This brief was developed in association with:

·     The MIT Center for International Studies;

·     Center for Women’s Global Leadership, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey;

·     Global Network of Women Peacebuilders; and

·     Institute for Inclusive Security.

The next ICAN Issue Brief will address the Tunisian Elections and Implications for Women

Download What the Women Say: The Arab Spring and Implications for Women