WILPF Regional Conference on the MENA Region in Geneva

WILPF held a regional conference on the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region in Geneva on June 20-22. The outcome of the presentations was the adoption of a joint statement urging Member States, the UN and international actors to act "Now, not tomorrow" to achieve greater rights and security. In connection with the 20th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), WILPF also convened a side event. WILPF Secretary-General Madeleine Rees moderated the panel, made up of representatives from Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen and Morocco.

The event opened with a briefing on the conference and featured the moving testimony of Azza Helal Suleiman, an unarmed protester who suffered a brutal beating at the hands of the Egyptian military last year. All participants offered updates on current challenges faced in their own countries and a statement from Iraqi partners, who could not be present, was also read.