‘Our Voice, Our Strength’ - Cairo conference

Recommendations and lessons learned from a networking meeting on 25-28 March 2013 in Cairo, Egypt

In March 2013 Saferworld held a meeting to facilitate networking between women activists across the Arab world on the issue of women, peace and security. The meeting was held to provide these activists with opportunities to exchange experiences and lessons learned, as well as begin engaging more with policy makers to influence policy outcomes. The meeting formed part of a Saferworld project entitled: “Strengthening women’s public voice in Egypt, Libya and Yemen,” which aims to identify and help address the security and safety barriers that women activists face in these transitional countries. This is a summary of the discussions that took place.

“Suggestions for meaningful engagement include citizenship and human rights education... and ... vocational training ... that will allow women to start small businesses. It is important not to focus these efforts solely on women - genuine attitude shifts cannot be achieved without engaging both men and women.”