Women's Networking Conferences

?Every year on International Women's Day, international organisations compete to design a poster that reminds others (perhaps men in the societies where they work) that this day is not a celebratory day but rather a reminder of the forms of injustice and inequality that women face. However, few reflections are conducted about the role of those international organisations in perpetuating discrimination against women rights defenders, exhausting them, limiting their roles, and imposing their agendas on them. UN Women may be the worst in doing that, but these practices have been repeated continuously with various organisations over the years.

As a Syrian feminist who held advanced senior positions for eight years in the Syrian civil society, I witnessed many of the measures taken towards the implementation and design of programs supporting women in Syria. In future writings, I will try to shed light on some of these measures gradually over time . I will start with, Women's Networking Conferences.

Agendas:

We were always invited as speakers to an agenda that we did not participate in its formation. This agenda lacked our opinions on the priorities of this issue in our national or feminist affairs in the countries we came from. Our perspectives on the priorities of the issues affecting our national and feminist affairs in our home countries were not taken into account. The agenda was always tightly packed, leaving no room for networking or self-care, despite all the available posters on the pages of those organisations calling for the importance of rest as a feminist act and self-care. We were expected to maximise our time, regardless of our age or health? situation, which often meant rushing from one event to another, with flights booked that required long layovers at airports just to make it to the session on time. And to add insult to injury, we were often forced to book a return flight immediately after the final session, leaving us no time to process the experience or connect with others on a deeper level. Child care was rarely part of the invitation.?

Forced Intellectual Convergence:

Some of the organisers of these sessions believe that being women from the same state is enough reason to work together. I have attended networking meetings of this kind, which included women loyal or close to the Syrian regime. The same regime which issued a memorandum for my arrest in 2012 and later pursued my family and friends based on my political activism. Not once was I consulted on whether attending such a meeting aligned with my political choices and my legitimacy with Syrian women and men. No consideration was given to the potential security risks for me and other participants or the severe psychological exhaustion of trying to convince another woman of the basics of human rights.

The forced "peacebuilding" romance in the countries where international organisations operate, renders the problems in those countries solely as dialogue problems, rather than political, economic, democratic, or freedom-related issues. Just if they succeed in "forcing" us to the dialogue table, the prisons, torture, and use of chemical weapons magically disappear, and peace prevails

Just if they can “civilise” us and teach us how to talk to each other ..

The Industry of Feminist Superstars: From Collective Activism to Individual Celebrities

Following the first and second years of the Syrian revolution, the same faces were repeatedly invited to participate in these meetings, often based on their linguistic skills or ease of travel. Unfortunately, these conferences were largely disinterested in our legal status as refugees. While I participated in these gatherings, I noticed a concerning trend towards creating individual feminist celebrities rather than collective activism. The organisers of these events seemed to prioritise personal fame and recognition over meaningful progress towards gender equality.

In recent years, I have attempted to withdraw from these gatherings and nominate other competent women, some of whom may be even more skilled and courageous than myself. However, my nominations were not accepted.

Financial transparency and the actual efficiency for such conferences

The common use of such conferences as a response to Syrian affairs (and potentially in other conflicts) raises the question of its effectiveness. We are left wondering about the amount of money spent on these events, and whether they are truly effective for networking or whether they actually isolate us from our people. Perhaps there are alternative networking mechanisms or longer planning programs that can better serve our needs. Additionally, the program, agenda, and invitees for these conferences were determined by western entities, under the guise of "empowering us as local women to participate in politics." However, true ownership of policy begins with our ability to have a say in our political interaction with foreign entities, not just with Syrian men (mostly refugees, or survivors of political violence.)

Exaggerated celebration of the self

These international organisations feel that they are fully advanced in the subject of diversity and inclusion, as long as they have brought in a strategic expert (usually from their own country) who has written some policy and procedures (usually affects their teams and their recruitment method only). Instead of a continuous and constant revision of those practices based on acknowledging the shortcomings in dealing with local feminists and communities, they celebrate their DI.?

Conflict of Interest

The organisers of these conferences play multiple roles, often functioning as donors for women's organisations that are typically underfunded. This situation makes it difficult to decide whether or not to participate, or to approach such participation with extreme caution, such as suppressing justified political anger. It is a challenging matter, given the enormous financial needs of our people and the lack of direct funding available for local women's organisations, which must pass through these intermediaries.

Although I have experienced discrimination in Syria, both outside the country and within the circles of the Syrian civil society, and have been subjected to immense political violence inside Syria, some of which is based on my identity as a woman, I still aspire to reclaim my ability to participate politically as a local Syrian. This aspiration includes international entities that take the title "allies" too lightly.

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