Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take to ensure women’s equal and meaningful participation in the Syrian peace process.

Hugh Robertson

It is vital that Syrian women are able to participate fully in decisions about the future of their country. We continue to raise international awareness of this important issue and the Foreign Secretary has written to the UN Secretary General, the Joint Special Envoy, and a number of Foreign Ministers recommending that Syrian women should be able to participate fully in the peace process. We are providing £200,000 of support to the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom to strengthen the capacity of Syrian women’s groups to engage in the transition process. The Foreign Secretary was pleased to meet representatives from the Syrian Women’s Initiative for Peace and Democracy during Geneva II, and the UK intends to offer further practical support in close coordination with UN Women and donors.