On the 23rd of November, Jan Warner Visiting Scholar Ms. Aline Jabbari participated on behalf of CGDS in a panel on academic interventions, as part of the CSO International Conference “The Role of Women in Transitional Justice: Voices and Perspectives in Lebanon and Iraq,” held in Beirut, Lebanon. The conference served as a closing event of the two-year project “Women Challenging War: donne che sfidano la Guerra tra Italia e Medioriente,” funded by the DGAP – Directorate General for Political Affairs and Security of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
In her presentation, Ms. Aline shared the work of CGDS, both its origins and the research projects and activities with which the center is currently involved. She then moved to her personal lessons in the field and what challenges she sees in her work. She highlighted how one of our obstacles towards transformation lies in the way certain voices are elevated above others, ascribing legitimacy to some viewpoints and silencing or erasing others, both throughout history and in the present. As such, the obstacle does not always lie in a lack of people willing to commit to change, as much as in the illusion that those people are absent, which underlines the importance of remembering the power dynamics at play that aim to maintain the status quo. She finished her presentation by emphasizing the urgency of education and the role education can play, and touched upon her experiences in the classroom in teaching courses in the AUIS gender minor.
The conference was organized to promote the experience of Civil Society Organizations in the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security – WPS Agenda and related National Action Plans – NAPs, with a specific focus on transitional justice. Women and men shared their experiences and concerns related to peace and transitional justice process and mechanisms, within the general framework set by experts involved in peacebuilding and WPS national policies. Additionally, one session was dedicated specifically to academic interventions, followed by voices from the field.
Organizations involved included Un Ponte Per; Fighters for Peace; Permanent Peace Movement; Youth Bridge for Development Organization; DAK Organization for Ezidi Women Development; Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom; and Centro Studi Difesa Civile.
Image description: Four women sit behind a long desk equipped with laptops, microphones, bottles of water, and name cards. Behind them is a dark blue curtain and a poster in white and purple.