Syrian women have borne the burdens of war, displacement, and authoritarianism—but they have also resisted, led, and sustained communities. They are not asking for permission to participate—they are demanding structural inclusion in shaping Syria’s future. The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation gathered, together with Dawlaty, GRACA, Mobaderoon, Women Now for Development – Lebanon, Syrian women leaders to reflect on their country’s trajectory and envision a feminist future. Participants emphasised a vital truth: unless Syrian women are meaningfully included in political, economic, and social rebuilding efforts, the future risks repeating the failures of the past.
To ensure a just and peaceful future the following action is needed:
1. Guarantee women’s political participation at all levels
- Ensure women’s representation as negotiators, not observers, in all peace and transitional processes.
- Operationalise UN Resolution 2254 as a living document that guarantees women’s seats at the table in national dialogues, constitution-making, and post-conflict governance.
- End tokenism: appointing a female minister is not inclusion. Women must be part of shaping the agenda and holding power.
2. Recognise and fund grassroots feminist movements
- Reverse the decline in donor support for Syrian feminist organisations. Feminist work in Syria has seen a devastating funding drop. This must be restored.
- Prioritise flexible, direct funding for local, women-led initiatives. “Localisation” must not be reduced to rhetoric—it must mean trusting and resourcing those on the ground.
- Support women’s creative and culturally grounded approaches to peacebuilding, like those used to counter youth radicalization in ISIS-affected areas.
3. Make justice personal and participatory
- Advance transitional justice that centers memory, oral history, and lived experiences—especially of women imprisoned, displaced, or silenced.
- Support the documentation and archiving of stories that can serve as foundations for justice and healing. As one activist said, “Memory is not a goal—it’s a tool.”
- Begin building justice structures now; there is no “perfect time.” Healing must start with recognition.
4. Reclaim economic space for women
- Integrate women into all economic recovery strategies. Despite sustaining communities during conflict, women remain nearly absent from economic leadership and planning.
- Shift the narrative: from controlling what women wear to empowering what they own, manage, and lead.
- Recognise that economic justice is gender justice. Women must be agents of Syria’s economic reconstruction—not just survivors of it.
5. Protect women’s rights and reclaim the narrative on womanhood and autonomy
- Defend women’s autonomy in public life, especially their right to move freely, speak openly, and define their own identities.
- Reject false binaries of morality and tradition that seek to silence or erase women’s presence from civic space.
- Recognize that battles over dress codes are actually battles over freedom, citizenship, and dignity.
- Launch a national debate on womanhood and bodily autonomy to challenge controlling narratives and affirm women’s equal status in law, culture, and society.
- Frame bodily autonomy as a cornerstone of equality, self-worth, and full civic participation, without it, women cannot fully realize their humanity or power.
- Prioritize support for the formation and strengthening of women’s alliances to enhance collective advocacy, foster solidarity, and build sustainable movements for women’s rights.
The future of Syria cannot be written without Syrian women holding the pen. From political negotiations to transitional justice, from food security to public freedoms—women’s voices, knowledge, and leadership must be centered, funded, and followed. The next chapter must not replicate the harms of the past. It must be co-authored by the women who have already proven they are building peace every day.
—The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation