ESCR-Net Arab Region’s Brief Achievements and Challenges CWS- UN March 18/2015 Islah Jad: Qatar University/Bir Zeit University

Arab Region: General Background Socio, economic, cultural, and political variations Highest percentage of displaced and refugees in the world. Wars and conflicts as the ‘norm’ (Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Lebanon..etc). Youth crisis.

Beijing Platform for action: contribution to advance women’s ESCR and substantive equality in the Arab Region it helped in: Raising awareness on women’s rights and issues at the level of governments and non- government. Introduce important legal reforms Institutionalizing gender issues and the subsequent policy formulation The spread of many women’s organisations

Change on Normative Frameworks and Economic Policies Universal platforms cannot change structural problems: Important changes in wealthy countries but cultural constraints and weak human resources. Rising in youth unemployment and growing social gaps: Jordan 22.2%, Bahrain 84%, Tunisia 22%, Algeria 16.3%, Comoros 47%, Iraq 20.7%, Oman 38.5%, Palestine 35%, Egypt 24%, Yemen 60%.

Progresses and Gaps: 20 years after Endorsing CEDAW but with some reservations. Introduce some legal reforms: Labour, maternity, family law, penal code, political participation, nationality...etc. Great advancement in health and education. Economic empowerment (individual approach) Gendered budgeting

Progresses and Gaps: 20 years after Wars and conflicts and resource distraction: Regression after progression at all levels: Health, education, national mechanisms, rights, poverty, violence, loss of homes and families..etc. The cooptation of the rights discourse by governments and non-governments organisations (Bahrain, Egypt..etc) Growing regional and social gaps. More NGOs and weaker movements. The political use of women’s and human rights organisations.

Lessons Learned and Women’s ESCR in the Coming Decade Integrated approach to women’s rights. International humanitarian law and Beijing Platform were not entirely clear on displaced women and refugees. Focus on monitoring and observatories. Invest in women’s power and movements. Mechanism to enforce government’s accountability. Focus on women’s education in conflict areas.