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Are you interested in attending a course about promoting the Culture of Peace?
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National Level • Peace Education Program for Children and Youth :
The Movement believes in the importance of addressing the role of children and youth in spreading the values and culture of peace. Moreover, raising their knowledge and awareness about their benefits of values and cultures and accepting differences and diverse cultures among countries and people.
In coordination with libraries and selected embassies in Egypt, during the summer vacations, the Movement launched its initiative entitled “Celebrating Diversity”. The event coincided with the launch of the “Reading for All Festival”, which celebrated its 15th anniversary. The theme for the festival this year was “Peace In the Eyes of Our Children”. This Initiative encourages the knowledge of child and youth about different cultures, people and it emphasizes the values of respect and collaboration, accepting the other through interaction.
• In Partnership with UNIFEM :
The Movement is currently implementing a pilot project with the NGOs in the following governorates: Sohag, Assiut, Minya, Giza and Alexandria with the aim of create groups of trained youth between the age of 13-20 capable of communicating to their local communities messages and values of culture of peace and tolerance. This socio-cultural program will be integrated within the recreational activities of the NGOs conducted with the youth thus using various educational methods and tools. A training guide and an activity tool kit will be prepared for wide dissemination of the program.
• Summer Peace Camps :
Few Friends of the Movement volunteered to conduct a children’s summer peace camp in two locations on the North Coast with the purpose of spreading messages of peace to the children through various activities and games, specifically tailored for the event. The Ministry of Environment provided a mobile environmental awareness unit that contributed to the program activities of the camp. Bezra, the beloved character, participated in raising the awareness of children about the values and benefits of protecting the environment and a peaceful community. • Friends of the Movement Workshops : In today’s world, the pursuit of sustainable peace has become a global responsibility. The international community, as a whole, fully acknowledges the value of working together to curb the escalation of violence and injustice that continues to haunt our present and threaten our future. However, as things stand now, this global effort is incomplete. Women, who make up half the world’s population, are constantly being marginalized from formal negotiations as well as peace building and peace keeping strategies. In an effort to redress the situation, The Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement (TSMWIPM) launched the first stage of its Awareness Raising Workshops for the “Friends of the Movement” on February 8th 2004. Initially staged in Cairo, Egypt, the workshops aim to generate a greater awareness of peace and human security issues among young women of diverse backgrounds and to stimulate their engagement in the promotion and development of the Culture of Peace. • Peace Matters Lectures Series The Peace Matters lecture series engages inspirational speakers to stimulate public discussions on the role of women in peace and human security issues. In addition, the lectures aim to encourage the active participation of civil society members in the promotion and advancement of the principles of the culture of peace.
“I am confident that the role women will play in peace stewardship will contribute to a new concept of global human security. I am sure that they will rally all their forces across borders, across cultural barriers of language and religion, in order to contribute to a better world”.
H.E. Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak Regional Level • The Movement organizes Fundraising Event for Palestinian Children Cairo, Egypt-May 16, 2005 The SMWIPM organized a fundraising dinner on May 16th 2005, in cooperation with the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, at the JW Marriott in Cairo. The funds collected will help to support the Movement's activities and help provide up-to-date trauma services urgently needed by affected Palestinian orphans and children. The event comes as a follow-up to the Global Coalition –Women Defending Peace's Mission to Palestine, which was organized from 7-11 January 2005 to help support the Palestinian women at all levels during the presidential elections and advocate their active involvement in all political processes. During this mission, the visiting delegation also met with government officials and representatives of NGO's to identify ways in which the Coalition could contribute in helping to uplift the living conditions of Palestinian women and children. Coalition members agreed that one such way was to help women’s organizations to provide better and more up- to-date services and support for physically and mentally traumatized children. According to the officials and representatives, the psychological trauma suffered by children as a result of war and occupation has become a very big problem in every single Palestinian community. In fact, a study conducted in 2001 by Tamar Lavie of Tel Aviv University found that up to 70 percent of the total amount of Palestinian children suffers from symptoms of post traumatic stress. Addressing attendees, H.E Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, the President of the Movement paid tribute to all the Palestinian women and men who despite the hardships had not given up on peace. "I strongly believe that peace is still within our reach. We need only to look at people like Zahira Kamal, Salwa Abu Khadra, and many more, who are the pioneers of peace, the unsung heroes, who have never and will never abandon the cause. I look to all the brave Palestinian women and men who have risen to the highest peak of their courage to search for peace in the horizon". Earlier this year, the Movement collaborated with its Swiss Partners to arrange scholarships for young Palestinians to attend courses on New Issues in Security and Passport control and Fraud detection. In line with the objectives of the Coalition, it also sent hundreds of books through portable libraries to Palestinian children and youth. • First Ladies of the NEPAD States Gather in the City of Peace Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt-April 18, 2005 
The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), adopted in October 2001, represents an African inspired vision to cement the conditions conducive to sustainable development throughout the continent. Within this context, the initiative promises to enhance women’s human rights and build on existing legal frameworks to ensure their participation as equal and active partners in the implementation of its objectives.
Seizing the opportunity presented by the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee and African Peer Review Forum meetings in Sharm el Sheikh, the SMWIPM invited the First Ladies of the NEPAD states for a roundtable discussion pertaining to “Women and Peace” on April 18th 2005. The aim of this roundtable was to share ideas and experiences on the best ways to coordinate efforts to further harness the potential of women throughout the region in peace and security processes. Presided by Egypt's First Lady and President of the Movement, the meeting united the First Ladies of Botswana, Congo, Gabon, Lesotho, Malawi, Sudan and Zambia. Discussions centered on the progress that had been achieved and the obstacles that remained, both nationally and regionally, to engender all development, peace and human security initiatives and channels. In this respect, they acknowledged the landmark steps taken by the African Union (AU) to facilitate this transition through the introduction of various legal instruments and monitoring mechanisms. The adoption of the Maputo Protocol in July 2003, followed by Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa in July 2004, has significantly helped to re-enforce the provisions of the African Charter by offering more comprehensive and specific guarantees to ensure women’s civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights. At the same time, African leaders have continued to monitor their progress through the African Peer Review Mechanism - made by Africans for Africans. Notwithstanding these positive developments, the First Ladies unanimously highlighted the need to increase efforts in deterring pervasive obstacles that continue to hinder the implementation of these important provisions. The lack of human security, in its many forms, was seen as the primary obstacle to the advancement of gender equality, followed by the lack coordination between African countries in unfolding the requirements of these instruments. Conditions of poverty and the lack of access to quality education and health services, in parts of the region, derail gender equality programs and act as triggers to widespread violations of women's rights. At the same time, the lack of coordination between states only serves to deepen the implementation gaps and the impact of these conditions on African communities. As part of their contribution to redressing these negative trends, the First Ladies agreed to work together closely on the implementation of various joint programs addressing various topics under the rubric of peace and security, including trafficking in women and girls and the promotion of a culture of peace. They will also be working together on the African First Ladies Peace Mission 2005-2008 plan of action on conflict prevention and peace promotion in Africa, adopted in Burkina Faso in 2005. Finally, the First Ladies unanimously agreed on establishing an African forum “African Regional Coalition of Women Defending Peace” and requested the First Lady of Egypt, President and Founder of the Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement and the First Lady of Congo, President of the African First Ladies Peace Mission to coordinate their efforts for the organization of an African First Ladies Conference to be held in early 2006. •THE ROAD TO UNSC 1325, WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY FUTURE PERSPECTIVES Cairo-May 29th- 30th, 2004 Arab Women Break Down the Barriers to Peace
The Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement (TSMWIPM) held its first regional workshop, entitled "The Road to UNSC 1325 – Women, Peace and Security – Future Perspectives", from 29th - 30th May 2004 in Cairo, Egypt.
The UN Security Council resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security is a vital legal instrument, which calls for the increased representation of women at all decision-making levels and urges member states to incorporate a gender perspective in the mechanisms for the prevention, management and resolution of conflict.
Since its adoption, in October 2000, several important steps have been taken to implement UNSC 1325 around the world. In turn, this historic resolution has helped women to surmount many obstacles hindering their participation in peace and human security issues. Notwithstanding the efforts of governmental and non-governmental institutions, there still exists a significant "awareness gap" in the Arab world regarding the provisions reflected in this important resolution.
In view of this constraint, TSMWIPM saw the need to organize a regional workshop that would emphasize the potential of UNSC 1325 at this critical stage in the region's development.
First of it's kind, the event brought together 52 participants from 14 different Arab countries to discuss ways to disseminate the message and implement the recommendations of UNSC 1325 across the region. The workshop was also designed to lay down the foundation of a regional network of women and men focusing on peace and human security issues.
H.E. Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak inaugurated this regional effort with a speech highlighting the urgent need to activate UNSC 1325 in the region, taking into consideration the specific character and requirements of each nation.
Mrs. Mubarak said that, as stipulated in UNSC 1325, " it is essential to invest in the capabilities of Arab women in building peace and enhancing human security. We need to support their ideas, harness their potential as negotiators and promote their participation in all decisions that will eventually determine the security and prosperity of our region".
During the workshop, representatives from Algeria , Bahrain , Egypt , Iraq , Jordan , Kuwait , Lebanon , Libya , Morocco , Palestine , Saudi Arabia , Somalia , Sudan , Syria , Tunis , United Arab Emirates and Yemen attended various sessions focusing on the key elements of UNSC 1325 and its instruments of action, as well as on the Culture and Language of Peace.
The workshop also featured several prominent international speakers and experts in the fields of women and peace from the region including, Dr. Haifa Abou Ghazaleh , Regional Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), Dr. Wadouda Badran , Director, Arab Women Organization, Ms. Salwa Hdeib , Head of the Department of Women's Affairs in Palestine, on behalf of H.E. Zahira Kamal, Palestinian Minister for Women's Affairs, Dr. Dekha Ibrahim Abdi , the Coalition of Peace in Africa (COPA) in Kenya, Ms. Asha Hagi Elmi , Save the Somali Women and Children, Ms. Hanan Aruri , Jerusalem- Palestinian Center for Women, Ms. Kareema Muhsin of the World Food Programme in Iraq, Ms. Ancil Adrian-Paul , Manager of Gender and Peace-Building Programme, International Alert in United Kingdom and Ms. Zana Al Rawandozi, Director of Human Resources Department, Iraqi Ministry of Planning.
On the second day of the workshop, TSMWIPM organized parallel panels designed to inspire a greater understanding of UNSC 1325 and its implications on women in the Arab region. The event also featured a Youth Round-Table, focusing on the importance of engaging today's youth in the implementation of UNSC 1325 and the promotion of a Culture of Peace.
At the end of the sessions, participants were given the opportunity to integrate their own recommendations for the implementation of UNSC 1325 into a consolidated regional action plan referred to as The Cairo Declaration.
Acknowledgements go to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), the Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR) and the World Bank for providing technical and financial support in the realization of this event.
Summary Report
The Suzanne Mubarak Women International Peace Movement's first regional workshop, entitled "Road to UNSC 1325, Women, Peace and Security - Future Perspectives" , was successfully conducted in Cairo from 29-30 May 2004. This event was organized with the financial and technical support of the UNDP Regional Bureau for the Arab States , UNIFEM, the UN Resident Coordinator and the World Bank.
It brought together representatives from organizations interested in promoting women, peace and development from various countries in the Arab region. The workshop was attended by 52 participants from 14 Arab countries including 6 staff members of the Movement and speakers from Egypt , Jordan , Palestine , Iraq , Somalia , Kenya and the United Kingdom . The two day workshop discussed ways to place Arab women at the center of peace and human security dialogue thus using the framework of UNSC 1325 International Level United For Peace Sharm El Sheikh-July 31st, 2005 The Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement is organizing a ceremony, entitled “United for Peace”, to commemorate the victims of the tragic events of Sharm el Sheikh on July 31st at 19:00 in the city’s Peace Gardens. This proactive gathering will bring together residents and visitors of Sharm El Sheikh, including intellectuals, artists, representatives from leading international and national NGOs, Friends of the Movement and young participants of the international peace camps to the city of Sharm el Sheikh to remember and honor those who lost their lives.
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