Beirut conference calls for Intel to women's participation in peace and security initiatives

An international conference on "prioritizing women, peace and security on the Arab agenda" called on Thursday for actions to ensure the participation of women in all aspects of peace and security initiatives across the Arab world.

The conference was organized by the Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World at Lebanese American University and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) from Aug. 8 to 10 in Beirut.

According to a statement by the ESCWA, the conference concluded by launching the Beirut Call for Action and urged the Arab states, the UN, the League of Arab States, civil society, policymakers and practitioners to fulfill their commitments.

Participants called for "introducing a new paradigm that promotes a culture of peace, active protection of women from violence, as well as tackles issues of violent extremism, radical religious discourse and political repression," the statement said.

The conference brought together more than 40 high level experts, academics and practitioners from the United Nations and 11 Arab countries to discuss women's participation in regional peace and security initiatives.

Source : XINHUA