Kurdish women are famous around the world for fighting on the frontlines against religious fundamentalists and authoritarian regimes. Less known, but equally important, is the role that they have played in diplomatic efforts to sustainably end conflicts, promote Kurdish self-determination, and, all the while, ensure that the unique needs and perspectives of women are not forgotten.

When Kurdish women get to the negotiating table, they’ve come a long way. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, women made up just 13 percent of negotiators, six percent of mediators, and six percent of signatories in all major peace processes from 1992-2019. Countless agreements impacting Kurdistan and the Kurdish people have been made without meaningful Kurdish input, from the division of the region into the modern states of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria in the early 20th century to the infamous Trump-Erdogan phone call preceding Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria in October 2019.

Statistics show that peace agreements are more likely to fail if women and women’s movements are not involved. Regional history makes it clear that the exclusion of Kurdish perspectives from international agreements on the Middle East has led to tremendous conflict and suffering. This provides observers with an important lesson: listening to and including Kurdish women is a fundamental prerequisite for peace.

On the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, join our distinguished speakers to hear first-hand accounts of the experiences of women in Kurdish diplomacy and understand how the international community can learn from and support them.

Watch on YouTube

Webinar | Kurdish Women Diplomats Advancing Peace and Security 
Date and Time: 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM EDT, Monday, June 24, 2024
Registration: Click here to register.

Speakers: 

Ceylan Akça
Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) MP and Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee Member; Free Women’s Movement (TJA) Activist

Treefa Aziz
Kurdistan Regional Government Representative to the United States

Sinam Sherkany Mohamad
Chief of Mission, U.S. Mission of the Syrian Democratic Council

Moderator:
Meghan Bodette
Director of Research, Kurdish Peace Institute 

This event is a project of the Kurdish Peace Institute’s Program on Non-State Actors and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.