Over forty Syrian women, from all walks of social and political life, convened a working seminar in Cairo to form the “Syrian Women’s Forum for Peace” between October 30 and November 1 2012. The three-day conference included discussions of the risks associated with Syria falling into a cycle of violence. They aimed to encourage a culture of peace and democracy in Syria.

Aims

• Activating Syrian and international public opinion to lobby decision makers to adopt peaceful means in political life and to build a democratic state.
• Creating a culture of peace for all Syrians, especially since peace is one of the fundamental characteristics of Syrian culture.
• Other goals involve ensuring that women are able to actively participate in peacemaking processes and building democracy and work towards a unified vision for peace.

Description of activities

• Networking with organisations and groups committed to the goal of peace inside and outside the country.
• Building avenues of communication with Syrian civil society at the individual and organisational levels.
• Capacity building and formation of cadres necessary to undertake this campaign.
• Empowering civil society towards undertaking active roles and peacebuilding.
• Addressing the immediate and urgent needs of people caught up in the conflict.
• Releaseing periodic newsletters.

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