Supporting women leading international peace and equality movements.
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"Women are taking a lead in the struggles for peace and justice," said Mikael Gustafsson, chair of the Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee in the European Parliament, opening a conference on women and peace this morning.
For Ilda Figueiredo, GUE/NGL coordinator on the Committee, "it is important keep in mind that democracy, gender equality and social justice are necessary prerequisites for sustainable peace".
With this conference, the GUE/NGL sought to give greater visibility to women's struggle for peace, particularly at this time when conflict is prevalent in so many places throughout the world. Representatives from a number of the organisations from places experiencing different conflict situations were invited to talk about their achievements and challenges in the struggle for justice and equality, for example, women's empowerment in areas related to military conflict and war, women's struggle in Palestinian refugee camps, in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, in Tunisia and in Western Sahara.
"We all know that women had a central role in the "Arab Spring" claiming not only democracy and respect for human rights, but also gender equality as a central principle of society," said Mikael Gustafsson. "At the same time we should not forget what is happening in our own countries," he added, explaining the presence of guests speaking about great injustices and inequalities in European countries, and the strategies women are developing to resist and create alternatives.
"Today, more than ever before, we must be supporters of women's courageous struggle for peace, justice and equality, in Europe and globally and also support the huge demonstrations taking place in several EU countries against neoliberal policies or in other countries against war and for democracy and peace," concluded Ilda Figueiredo.
GUE/NGL Press Contacts:
Gay Kavanagh +32 473 84 23 20
David Lundy +32 485 50 58 12
gabrielle.kavanagh@europarl.europa.eu
david.lundy@europarl.europa.eu
European United Left / Nordic Green Left
European Parliamentary Group