The seventh and ultimate plenary session was held this morning under the presidency of Mrs. Louloua Al-Awadhi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Women (Bahrain). The first presentation was given by Dr. Nader Said Fouqaha (Palestine) through which he stressed the various forms of political and social oppression as well as the violations that women are facing in several Arab countries. According to him, these are due to armed conflicts, foreign occupation, and religious feuds which engrave the conception that women are fragile, vulnerable, and always in need of protection and assistance. Dr. Nader added that the deterioration of the situation, with regard to security and society, prevents the community members from contributing to the development efforts, granted that development depends on the security option. The speaker also made it clear that conflicts jeopardize the chances of sustainable development and increase dependence at the economic, social, cultural, and psychological levels. Dr. Nader went on saying that the weakness of human development is not peculiar to Arab countries that suffer from the pangs of wars and conflicts but also extends to those countries which allocate huge budgets to armament. Arab women's contribution to the sustainable development process and decision-making in Arab societies, he concluded, will consolidate social justice, reinforce women's confidence in their aptitudes and capabilities, and liberate them from material and psychological dependence on men. For his part, Dr Brahim Darraji of Syria said that women's liberation from the yoke of oppression, discrimination, dependence, ignorance and their protection against the consequences of armed conflicts are the sole condition to guarantee their effective contribution to sustainable development. Women who are victims of war he added, are always fragile, whence the need to think out plans to allocate the necessary budgets to ensure their rehabilitation. He also stressed the importance of raising awareness among Arab peoples as to the importance of respecting women who are war victims, so as to consecrate their right to a decent life.
