Beirut, 22 and 23 April 2015

The project is developed by the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and 6 other organisations: the Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR), the Fédération de la Ligue Démocratique des Droits des Femmes (FLLDF), the Forum Femmes Méditerranée (FFM), the Djazairouna association of victims of terrorism, the Palestinian Businesswomen’s Association (ASALA) and the Réseau Universitaire et Scientifique Euro-Méditerranéen sur le Genre et les femmes (RUSEMEG). The Beirut meeting was organised in partnership with the Mediterranean Network against Trafficking in Women.

The CSO WINS project is funded by the European Union. Its main objective is to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations working for gender equality in the southern Mediterranean to mobilise policy-makers and public opinion to advocate and promote women’s rights.

The main objective of the meeting was to revise and assess the advocacy and political dialogue good practices received in the framework of the call for proposals to promote the role of women in society in the Euro-Mediterranean region launched in March.

Among the other goals of the meeting, we should note the holding of a press conference with the participation of Fouzia Assouli (FLDDF) and Chérifa Kheddar (DJAZAIROUNA) and the meeting with representatives of the League for Lebanese Women's Rights and the ”Rencontre Nationale pour l’Elimination de la Discrimination contre la Femme”. These two associations presented their numerous advocacy experiences; for instance, in favour of women’s rights to pass on Lebanese nationality, the reform of the Lebanese Civil Code, or the quota law.