As an act of solidarity with the feminists of Lebanon, we, a group of feminists from the MENA region, launch this initiative in support of the feminist issues facing Lebanon’s women after the harbor’s massacre. We are aware of the importance of supporting Lebanon, rebuilding it, preventing its fall into a civil war, and the presence of the needed tools to fight corruption with the help of Lebanon’s women and men according to the ethics of democracy, justice, equality and the values of the feminist movement.

We, the feminists of the region and Lebanon, are always fighting the sectarian regime and the corruption of its institutions in our countries and in Lebanon. We are constantly standing up against this regime’s discriminatory tactics, violence against women and the sectarian courts that dismiss women’s issues and their rights, and we will continue standing up against those things after the harbor’s massacre.

During the times of massacres and political and sectarian violence, women hold the weight of suffering on a much grander scope which is why we, as local, independent and active feminists in the region and the Middle East, have reached an agreement on a feminist agenda that we demand the achievement of its terms and intend to showcase to the international community in an attempt at raising our voices with our national and regional demands that need active supporters on the national, regional and international levels. Our demands are as follows:

• The creation of a feminist committee to discuss Lebanese national issues and whose foundation will consist of Lebanese feminists with cooperation of supportive feminists from the Middle East.

•  Work on supporting a participatory political process in which women are represented in a predetermined percentage across all frameworks of the future political initiative.

•. Supporting the representation of active women with a specific percentage in the transitional government and then future governments.

•. Supporting the representation of all women, rather than imposing sectarian quotas, in the multiple elected councils.

•. Supporting civil society with gender-responsive policies based on the priorities identified in this declaration.

•. Providing a gender-based approach to justice, compensation and accountability.

•. All parties are obligated to provide support and protection for women human rights defenders (WHRD) in accordance with the Universal Declaration on Women Human Rights Defenders endorsed by the United Nations.

Mozn Hassan from Egypt

Fahima Hashim from Sudan

Rezan Dler - Kurdistan, Iraq

Antelak Al-Mutawakel- Yemen

In solidarity with Feminists in Lebanon and with the voice of:

Lina Abu Habib - Lebanon