At the beginning of 2014, the Syrian Women’s Peace Forum, a cross section of Syrian women, developed a charter for peace to present to the Geneva II peace talks. They were not allowed to enter or submit their proposals, even though the two warring factions refused to talk or negotiate a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis.
In June 2014 the UK hosted the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. A Syrian women’s delegation was brought to the summit by WILPF (Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom), where one of their members spoke of how the women of northern Syrian were caught between two forces: the Assad regime and the Jihadists; she said “Syrians are surrounded by hell”.
That hell has continued and looks set to intensify as air strikes sanctioned by President Obama begin. WILPF UK is gravely concerned at this escalation of events that will severely and disproportionately affect the lives of Syrian civilians, including women, children and the elderly.
WILPF UK condemns the continuing fighting in Syria and calls for the nations of the world to use diplomatic skills to press for peace negotiations at the earliest opportunity.
WILPF UK calls for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 so that when peace talks begin the women of Syria are acknowledged as legitimate participants and are, this time, invited and permitted full participation in the peace-building process as recommended by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.