The main consideration of the seminar were based on:
women rights can not be separated from human rights as it is described as one entity which covers political, civil, social, cultural, economical and family rights. These can not be separated as you can not recognize economical rights with the recognition of civil and political rights; and vice versa.
The consideration of women rights and their participation in public affairs is a basic component to achieve democracy, equality and human dignity.
Crediting the UN reports and specifically the human development report in the Arab World, the participation of women in private and public affairs considers as an important measure for society development.
The development of Arab Gulf countries in all political, economical and cultural fields can not be achieved in the absence of women in decision maker’s centers as they form half of the society.
The works of the seminar focused on the following special points:
Political participation of women between law and reality
Women participation in elections as a voter and candidate
State experiences in he region
The role of the authority and civil society in supporting women participation in politics and public affairs in general
The position of women in political parties and NGOs
The legal and social position of women and their influences in women participation in public affairs
Political, social, family and cultural obstacles which does not allow women from active participation in public affairs
The cultural inheritance and its influence on women participation of women in public affairs.
The influence of tribal and sectarian system
The relation between political participation of women in public affairs
The role of education
The role of the media
The seminar offered the opportunity to hear life testimony of candidate’s experiences in elections which were held in the region recently and the obstacles and difficulties they faced as women candidates.
The seminar allowed talking about experiences outside the region like Tunisia, Algeria and Lebanon
The seminar came up with following recommendations:
Recommendations Directed to the Governments of the Arabian Gulf and Peninsula
1.Prepare the educational curricula in the direction to allow changing the image of women through including the international conventions related to women rights that have been endorsed by Arab countries.
2.state, amend and improve the legislations which enable women to have an active participation in political work and public affairs, which enforce quality between the two sexes. In this regard, the participants recommend the following:
Include the quality between the two sexes in the constitutions and review the local legislations specifically elections, political parties, civil societies and trade unions laws to allow active and real participation of women in public affairs
Assuring the speed in issuing laws to organize women rights inside the family to be in accordance with requirements of the current era.
Urge the parliaments and governments to introduce and amend nation legislations to be in accordance with international conventions that commit states to take the necessary steps to grantee women rights in quality with men.
Demand introducing mechanisms to implement the international conventions related to human rights in general including the conventions related to women human rights.
Lift the reservations on SIDAW and endorsing the optional protocol annexed to the conventions.
Introduce institutionalized mechanisms to monitor the implementations of laws and adopt a timetable for implementation.
Adopt the "quota" system as a transitional period
3.adopt development policies to respond to the special needs for women so they can be able to play an active and real role in public affairs and in this framework forming an economical council for empowering women
4.Establish national foundations and regional foundation to fund training projects. The funding should be based on objective standards and qualitative measure and provide financial support for women candidates.
5.Invite the national committees for human rights to include women rights and support women participation in public affairs in their programmes and present a recommendation of this regard to National Arab organization for human rights conference which will hold in Rabat in July 2007.
6.grantee the governments alliance in elections and political work and adopt the principle of equal citizenship without discrimination
7.working on the separation between state and religion
Recommendations for Political Parties and Organizations
8.Support the positions of women in political parties and organizations and work on creating a number of leadership positions for women in these organizations and not just giving them positions in the women organization that annexed to them.
9.Invite them to adopt peogrammes to support women and not just approve their rights in general in their by-laws.
10.provide democratic atmosphere inside these organizations to prevent the phenomenon of discriminate and marginised women
11.increase the materialistic support for these organizations which endorsed women participation inside them
Recommendations for the Media
12.Work with the media to change the classical image of women in the media based on the principle of equality between the two sexes and mutual respect.
13.change the classic image of women in advertisements and prevent using women as goods to promote goods.
14.spread awareness of the important role of women in public affairs
15.prepare and execute programmes directed to the media to raise their awareness in the importance of women role in public affairs
Recommendations for the Private Sector
16.invite the private sector to fund the national foundation
17.guarantee the equality between women and men in private sector
18.activate the constitutional texts that stipulate the role of the state to support women to balance their family and professional duties. Also the consideration that motherhood is a social job and equality of motherhood leave in the private and public sectors.
Recommendations for NGOs
19.invite NGOs to execute traning, media and awareness programmmes aims at increasing the awareness among women of their role and independent in decision making and their participation in political life
20.execute prgrammes and policies aim at pushing the governments, parliaments and local authorities to improve women rights
21.offer the opportunity to women in the leadership positions
22.invite NGOs to organize a parrale conference to the official GCC summit conference and Arab summits and obtaing an observation status in the permenant committee for human rights in Arab League
23.adopt education. Media and awareness programmes to awareness of the importance of women participation in public affairs
24.organize campaigns in Arab countires to urge them to lift their reservations on CDEAW and endorsement of the optional protocol annexed to the convention
25.the necessity of networking between NGOs and solidarity and exchange experiences between them