The closing statement of the fifth “space for cooperation” conference

The closing statement of the fifth “space for cooperation” conference

The closing statement of the fifth “space for cooperation” conference

28 February – 1 March 2020

We are a group of Syrian women, from a wide range of Syrian society. During the past five years, we have taken upon ourselves to strengthen solidarity, cooperation and coordination among Syrian women from civil society organizations and from different local and national tracks, taking responsibility and taking the initiative and following-up on various basic issues of concern to Syrians, women and men.

We exchange experiences, provide a gender-sensitive analysis of the reality on the ground and the political process, and support the progress of the political process based on Security Council Resolution 2254. We strive to include women in the political and constitutional process and to shed light on women’s aspirations for the future, which are in line with Security Council resolutions related to women, peace and security.

We agree that achieving sustainable peace in Syria will be through a political solution, not a military one. We affirm the need for the political solution to be fair, inclusive, and comprehensive, and to ensure accountability. In a space for cooperation 5, we agreed to a number of recommendations on the political and constitutional process and confidence-building measures.

 

The political and constitutional process

Stop the violence:

We call for a complete and lasting cessation of all hostilities in all Syrian territories, including sexual and gender-based violence.

The political process:

Syrian women and civil society must be included in the political process to reach a political agreement between the various Syrian parties, by increasing the percentage of women’s representation by no less than 30% in all stages of the process, and in line with the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325.

The constitutional process:

 We urge the Constitutional Committee to urgently and thoroughly work on the constitution. And that the constitution guarantees equal rights and freedoms for all Syrians, including the rights of full citizenship for all without any discrimination; And the inclusion of full gender equality in all stages of the constitutional process. A comprehensive and secure social contract must also be guaranteed through the constitution.

Confidence-building measures:

Detainees:

The immediate cessation of arbitrary arrests, the achievement of progress in the process of releasing detainees, and the disclosure of the fate of the forcibly disappeared, which contributes to building the credibility of the political solution among Syrians, and we urge the formation of a special committee that is sensitive to gender under the auspices of the Security Council, to deal with all issues related to detainees,  kidnappers and the missing. The mission of the committee is to monitor dealing with detainees, release them, reveal the fate of the forcibly disappeared, take measures to overcome the negative effects of detention, and provide support to all those affected and their families.

Displaced people and refugees:

In order to reach a sustainable political solution, the diversity that exists in Syria and the richness of all components of Syrian society must be preserved. The demographic change resulting from the file of the return of internally displaced persons, or the return of refugees, must be rejected. Safe and Voluntary Return both internally displaced persons and refugees must have a full and free choice of their place of origin or the place of their choice. We urge a gender-inclusive needs assessment and response to IDPs and refugees to enable safe, dignified and voluntary return. Specific measures must also be taken to ensure that all refugees are fully involved in the constitutional referendum and any electoral process that takes place before their return.

Finally, through the fifth “Space for Cooperation” conference, we call on together to push the political and constitutional process forward to achieve the aspirations of Syrians and to guarantee their equal rights, freedom and dignity.

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