Organisation

CIDDEF – Fondation pour l’égalité

The Foundation for Equality was established in 2015 and incorporates the Centre for Information and Documentation on the rights of Children and women (CIDDEF) itself created in 2002 at the initiative of Nadia Ait-Zai. Its documentation Centre has more than 6 000 books that deal with the rights of children and women, available to researchers and students.

Objectives

improve the situation of children and women

raise public opinion's awareness on these issues

combat discrimination and all forms of violence

advocate for the amendment of discriminatory laws

psychologically and legally assist women and children in distress

conduct studies and research on the rights of children and women

promote the rights of the child through advocacy to public institutions

inform and extend the rights of children and women through the creation of guides

publish a quarterly review and organise information days and awareness campaigns

Representative

Ms Nadia AIT ZAI is a lecturer in family law at Algiers University, a committed campaigner for women’s rights in the Maghreb and founder of the “Centre d’Information et de Documentation sur les Droits de l’Enfant et de la Femme” (CIDDEF) in Algiers, which was set up to document the history of the women’s movement— in Algeria, in the Maghreb, in Europe and worldwide.

She is a founding member of the Collectif Maghreb Egalité. Among other things, she is the co-author of “100 Proposals for an Alternative Islamic Family Code in the Maghreb” and “Dalil pour l’égalité dans la Famille au Maghreb” (2003) — a publication sponsored by UNIFEM, Oxfam, and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

She is also a co-author of Algeria’s first official survey on violence against women, published in 2005 by the Institut National de Santé Publique.

Fields of expertise

women and children’s rights

family law

policy making

data collection, information and research

violence against women and domestic violence

Contacts

05, Rue Ibn Hazm, Sacré Coeur
ALGER - ALGERIE

Tél/Fax: (213) (0) 23 49 16 58

E-mail: ciddefenfant@yahoo.fr

Organisation

Egyptian Feminist Union (EFU)

The Egyptian Feminist Union is an umbrella of national non-governmental organisations which includes 250 local non-governmental organisations from Egypt aiming at raising awareness of women's human rights and achieving gender equality. EFU, on behalf of its member NGOs, undertakes the role of speaker and observer of women's rights and has created a database including all associations, organisations and volunteers working on women's rights and affairs and conducted researches and studies about women's issues.

Objectives

coordinates the work of associations and civil society organisations

provides technical support and capacity building to workers and volunteers about women’s issues

leads activities to raise awareness about human and women rights

seeks various funding sources to improve and increase programs and services for women

Representative

Dr Fatemah Khafagy is an expert and former ombudsperson on gender equality at the National Council for Women. President of the Egyptian Feminist Union, she was a member of the board of directors of Alliance for Arab Women, member of Bibliotheca Alexandrina Advisory Group, policy expert at the “Euromed Role of Women in Economic Life Program”, director of the office of women's complaints, National Council for Women, director on Women and Development Program at UNICEF (1997-2001).

She is the author of: “the Euromed Role of Women in Economic Life Program: A Knowledge Base for Action in the South Mediterranean”, a research study on the monitoring the Convention on all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); “Civil Society in Egypt: External and Internal Obstacles”, in: “Egypt Human Development Report 2008: Egypt’s Social Contract: The Role of Civil Society” report of United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Egyptian Institute of National Planning and; “Egyptian Women at Crossroads”, Common Ground News Service, 26 August 2008.

Fatemah Khafagy received the University of Kuwait Award in 2008, the Ministry of Culture Award in 2006 and the Population Council Award for Research on Egyptian Labor Migration in 1990.

Fields of expertise

research

women, children and human rights

policy analysis

monitoring

campaigning

economic empowerment

Contacts

20 Tanta st- Agouza- Ground Floor

Tel: 02-33457824

e-mail: info@efuegypt.org

Organisation

Women Helping Women Network

Women Helping Women Network was founded by a group of experienced women in the field of women and development committed to an effective participation of women in the decision making process, to build a democratic society governed by the principles of justice and equal opportunities.

Objectives

raise awareness, develop capacity, mobilise, support and enhance women's participation in decision making

Representative

Ms Nuha Muhreiz holds a High Diploma in Equal Status and Human Rights of Women in the Middle East & North Africa, from Lund University through the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, and a BA in Philosophy and Psychology from the Arab Beirut University, Lebanon.

She is active on women’s rights issues through her work at the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development and Queen Zain Al Sharaf Institute for Development, where she has been involved for more than twenty years. Indeed, Ms Muhreiz manages various programmes and projects in the field of civic engagement, women rights, gender equality, reproductive health and gender-based violence.

She conducted many leadership trainings for women and youth in cooperation with International agencies not only in Jordan, but also in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Currently, she is the president of Women Helping Women Network, and a freelance consultant working on women issues human rights coalitions and gender-based violence. She was selected as one of the fifty pioneer Arab women by Sayedati Magazine Survey in 2014.

Fields of expertise

reproductive health, family planning

women rights

community empowerment

gender-based violence

human trafficking

training and advocacy

Contacts

email: whw.jordan@gmail.com

Organisation

KAFA (Enough) Violence and Exploitation

KAFA is a women’s rights organisation which works directly with victims of violence. It is a feminist, secular, non-profit, non-governmental civil society organisation seeking to create a society that is free of social, economic and legal patriarchal structures that discriminate women.

Objectives

offer legal advice and social counselling

advocate for legal reforms to protect women from their abusers

eliminate all forms of exploitation and violence against women

realise substantive gender equality

Representative

Ms Zoya Rouhana is the director of KAFA (Enough) Violence and Exploitation, and a founding member of the organisation which is dedicated to help put an end to women and children exploitation and all kinds of violence based on gender. Prior to founding KAFA, Zoya Rouhana was the General Coordinator of the Lebanese Council to Resist Violence against Women (1997 – 2005) and The Arab Women's Court (an Arab Network to Resist Violence against Women). She was also the Secretary of Women's Affairs in the Secours Populaire Libanais and a member of the Executive Committee of the League of Lebanese Women's Rights.

Zoya Rouhana continues her humanitarian mission activism for protecting families and society by working on the adoption of the law to protect women from family violence. She channels her efforts to achieve protection of abused women and is currently working through KAFA in cooperation with the Internal Security Forces, to develop training for security forces members to sensitize them on the importance of protecting the family unit and women from violence.

Fields of expertise

protection against violence against women and girls

exploitation

human trafficking

campaigning and advocacy

Contacts

43, Badaro Street, Beydoun Bldg, First Floor - Beirut, Lebanon

Tel: 961-1-392220 - Fax: 961-1-392220

Email: kafa@kafa.org.lb

Organisation

Together We Build It organization (TWBI)

Together We Build It is a non-profit organisation which was founded in 2011 to support a peaceful democratic transition in Libya through empowering women and youth to participate in the political and public sphere and emphasise the relevant role of women and youth in the peace-building process.

One of TWBI’s major projects is the 1325 Network in Libya: a network of civil society organisations and independent activists from all over Libya advocating for the implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325.

The organisation also developed the Libyan Women Database, a professional network for women, which aims to connect Libyan women from different spheres of society, determine a focal point for Libyan women, as well as to facilitate access to the government and the national and international community.

Objectives

promote women and youth peace and security

promote women and youth economic empowerment and leadership

promote women’s political participation

Representative

Prof. Rida Al-Tubuly is an activist and Professor of Pharmacology at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tripoli.

She holds an M.Sc. degree from the University of Warsaw, and a PhD from London University. After the liberation of Tripoli in 2011, Ms Al-Tubuly led an NGO that worked towards the promotion of human rights and women’s political and economic empowerment, “Maan Nabneeha Movement: Together We Build It”.

Rida Al-Tubuly is fighting for women’s rights and is concerned with issues such as gender equality and the political empowerment of women, particularly achieving recognition for Libyan women as real actors and equal partners in re-building the country. She is supporting the participation of women in the committee for drafting the constitution, fighting to have women’s rights properly written in the Libyan permanent constitution.

Ms Al-Tubuly is the executive manager of the 1325 Network in Libya, supporting and defending women's role in peacebuilding processes. Among a wide array of publications, she is also one of the co-authors of the first Libyan Civil Society Monitoring Report on UNSCR1325 (2000).

Fields of expertise

women peace and security

gender and conflict analysis

empowerment of women and youth

pharmacology

Contacts

Almashtel road, Ain zara - Tripoli

Email: rida@togetherwebuildit.org

Organisation

Union of Women action

Union of Women action is a non-profit human rights organisation founded in 1987. The organisation plays a key role in developing strategies to combat violence against women. The launch of the Annajda network contributed to raise awareness on gender-based violence and change gradually harmful behaviours and practices. By setting a shelter for women and mothers with children victims of domestic violence, the organisation provides social, legal, economic and psychological support, and also plays a mediator role.

Objectives

provide social, legal, economic and psychological support

increase citizens and stakeholders’ awareness of the magnitude of the violence against women phenomena

Representative

Ms Fatima Outaleb is a Human rights and gender equality advocate. She has over twenty-five years of experience in national and regional women’s issues with the Union Action Féminine (UAF) of which she is a founding member. Ms Outaleb supervises the implementation of the shelter management programme on advocating with and for women survivors of gender-based violence. She also currently represents the MENA region within the Global Network of Women Shelters. Moreover, Ms Outaleb has in the past years, carried out various advocacy activities as well as campaign planning, monitoring and evaluation on gender issues in the MENA region. She has also participated and facilitated several trainings and workshops: for instance, she facilitated and animated a workshop for UNDP focusing on ending institutional violence against women in Morocco.

Fields of expertise

training, consultancy and advocacy

women’s rights, violence against women, migrations, education

Contacts

Email: nswomennetwork@coe.int

Organisation

The Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC) is an independent Palestinian, non-profit, non-governmental organisation that seeks to develop a democratic Palestinian society based on the principles of gender equality and social justice. Based on its feminist vision fostering equality and social justice, WCLAC plays a prominent role in addressing gender-based violence in Palestinian society, both in the public and private spheres.

WCLAC seeks to contribute to creating social change in order to limit the practices and policies discriminating against women and the violation of their rights. It aims to establish a society in which all members enjoy social justice in accordance with international laws and conventions.

As a leading defender of women’s rights in Palestine*, WCLAC is proud of its uncompromising commitment to providing legal aid, social counselling and protection services to women in an environment where human rights abuses are rampant, and women’s issues are regularly overlooked.

Representative

Randa Siniora has been a human rights and women’s rights defender for over thirty years. She is currently the General Director of the Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC) in Jerusalem. Randa’s work has focused on advocacy and networking for progressive change in civil society organisations, UN agencies, and governments at national, regional and international levels. She began her career as a legal researcher and coordinator of the women’s rights programme at Al-Haq, where she later served as director from 2001-2005. She has also worked as a human rights specialist with good governance organisations in the occupied Palestinian* territory and was Head of the Advocacy and Networking Department at WCLAC from 1997-2001.

Fields of expertise

legal aid, social counselling and protection services for women

women’s rights, violence against women

Contacts

E-mail:info@wclac.org

Phone: +970 2 295-6146

Organisation

Madani - Syrian Civil Coalition (TAMAS)

The Madani organisation is a UK-based non-profit organisation whose aim is to support the role of the Syrian civil society in modern state building, as well as in achieving peace and stability in the country and democratic transition. Among its activities, Madani focuses on promoting the unarmed civilian protection and interrupting violence. Since 2014, the organisation has been a devoted founder and partner of the Syrian Civil Coalition (TAMAS). The aim of TAMAS, which involves more than 50 Syrian groups and organisations, is to unite, cooperate, and share experience, knowledge and resources in face of a unique crisis in Syria.

Objectives

unite, cooperate, and share experience, knowledge and resources related to Syria

Representative

Ms Malaak Swed is the coordinator of the “Paving the Way” project within Madani and president of the TAMAS coalition of Syrian civil society organisations. She holds a diploma from the High Institute of Dramatic Arts as well as a BA in Sociology from the University of Damascus and a Master’s degree in Anthropology from the Lebanese University in Beirut. She has also taken part in several conferences and training courses on the role of women in peacebuilding processes. Prior to working for Madani, she conducted a research on violence against women for the Syrian Association of Family Affairs and also worked as a theatre critique and journalist in several magazines, and programme producer for a TV channel.

Fields of expertise

training, research, project coordination, facilitation and mediation

gender-based violence, culture, sociology & anthropology, peace building, media

Contacts

Ahmad Moukhtar Bayhoum - Beirut, Lebanon

E-mail: info@madanisyria.org