The Canadian city of Vancouver hosted “Women Deliver 2019” Conference (June 3-6) on gender equality and the health, rights and wellbeing of girls and women around the world. The conference was attended by around 8,000 participants from 165 countries, with decision makers, influencers, advocates, academics, activists on women’s issues, including 1,400 young women. A number of issues were addressed, such as health, nutrition, education, economic and political empowerment and good governance. According to L’Orient Le Jour daily, the Lebanese presence was limited to representatives of civil society groups, namely the Arab Institute for Women (LAU), American University of Beirut, Women’s Learning Partnership and others… Women politicians however, have refrained from participation, knowing that they received invitations to the conference. The newspaper spoke to 5 young women leaders from Lebanon, Razan Masri, Zeinab Sherri, Maram Barakat, Ramona Abdallah and Serena Dardari, who have spoken up against the stereotype mentality towards working women in their country. They rose the issues of harassment and injustice against women, specifically against Syrian women refugees. During the conference, the 18-year-old Zambian activist for children’s and women’s rights, Natasha Wang Mwansa, said, “Making decision for us, without us, is making decisions against us”. In her address to the heads of the four participating states, namely, the Canadian prime minister, and the presidents of Ethiopia, Kenya and Ghana, Mwansa asked them about their actions in promoting gender equality in their countries, to which they replied, that much yet needs to be done to achieve equality. (L’Orient Le Jour, June 4, 7, 2019)
