The first congress of the Regional Democratic Women’s Coalition in the Middle East and North Africa (NADA) was held in Sulaymaniyah, in the Federal Region of Kurdistan, with the participation of nearly 200 women from 19 countries, primarily from the Middle East and Africa. The three-day congress focused on developments in the Middle East, the role and mission of women, and the scope of women’s struggle in the region. The final declaration of the congress emphasized building a society based on women’s freedom and the need for a common struggle. 

 

Evaluating the congress to Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Nubihar Mistefa highlighted the range of issues addressed during the discussions. She recalled that two previous conferences, one in Amed (Diyarbakır) and the other in Beirut, preceded this congress. “This congress was a continuation of those conferences,” she said. ,

 

‘WE WENT BEYOND REPETITIVE DEBATES’

 

Nubihar Mistefa stated that the congress discussions were divided under two main headings, one of which was women’s issue. “The discussions did not repeat old debates; instead, they delved deeply into the roots of the problem,” she said and added: “We asked; what are the historical depths of this problem and its current impacts on women? How do we, as women, assess the direct attacks on women’s presence in the Third World War unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa? How can we keep alive the culture of women that has persisted into the 21st century?”

 

She added: “We debated long-term strategic plans and short-term actions for advancing the women’s freedom struggle. What is the importance of unity among women in building a democratic society? These questions were addressed and discussed.”

 

‘THERE ARE MULTIDIMENSIONAL ATTACKS ON THE WOMEN’S STRUGGLE’

 

Nubihat Mistefa argued that establishing an internationalist women’s movement is essential. “If we can correctly analyse and solve the problem, then we can also correctly determine the plan and purpose of the struggle. The women’s struggle challenges the system of capitalist modernity, and for that reason, it faces multidimensional attacks,” she stressed. 

 

She added: They try to reduce women’s work to a narrow framework, isolating problems from their roots and fragmenting them. They belittle women’s efforts, trying to detach women from their revolutionary spirit and weaken them. This is patriarchal trap, an attack on the women’s movement of the 21st century.”

 

“Women cannot be viewed merely as individuals caught between society and the state. First, women must possess a revolutionary spirit. Second, they must transcend national borders. The women's issue is not a national issue—it is a human one. Therefore, the struggle must be a collective human struggle. Women must return to and uphold the values of their historical socialist culture,” she emphasized.

 

‘WOMEN ARA ABSENT FROM DECISION-MAKING MECHANISM’

 

Highlighting the fragmentation imposed on women, Nubihar Mistefa called for a unifying struggle and said: “At the congress, issues such as the legal systems of different countries, political women prisoners, stateless women, and survivors of genocide were all discussed. We also discussed how to resist the fragmentation imposed by the nation-state on religion, language, and culture.”

 

“By evaluating the conditions of their respective countries, women realized that their problems are strikingly similar. For example, while one country may have 23% female representation in parliament, Somaliland has none. But even 23% representation does not indicate a truly democratic system,” she said.

 

“Women are not part of the mechanisms that determine their fate. These decisions are still made either by patriarchal society or religious institutions. Regardless of their language, nation, or sect, women everywhere face the same forms of oppression. This congress was a step toward identifying those problems and shaping the struggle to confront them,” Nubihar Mistefa concluded. 

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut