The Embassy of Canada in Lebanon organized yesterday the regional FEMPARL conference which brought together women parliamentarians from 11 Arab countries to work towards the economic empowerment of women and identify challenges impeding gender equality. The conference addressed a number of issues, notably gender equality and the empowerment of women, in addition to matters related to women, peace and security. During the event, Canadian Ambassador, Emmanuelle Lamoureux, said the presence of a regional women network to promote larger participation in knowledge and capacity building is of utmost importance, stating that women’s taking over of leadership is key to solving the problems we face today. For her part, Lebanese MP Dima Jamali, lauded the role of women in transcending and overcoming obstacles to achieve their desired goals, pointing to an emerging generation of women leaders who are playing a greater role in the political arena. Jamali stressed the need to build and strengthen skills of the participants for a greater contribution in political decision making and the development of policies, nationally, regionally and globally. To recall, FEMPARL conference is held for the first time in the MENA region. It was launched in Cairo on February 3 and moved to Beirut on February 6 where it concluded its activities. (L’Orient Le Jour, February 7, 2019)