Commencement of the 10th Conference of the Arab Women’s Organization with Moroccan Participation
Yesterday, Monday, the 10th general conference of the Arab Women’s Organization commenced in Cairo, featuring high-level official delegations from Arab countries, including Morocco.
The conference, held over two days under the theme “Communication, Empowerment, and Protection for Women and Girls Against Cyber Violence and Violence Resulting from Technology and Artificial Intelligence,” includes participants from the Arab League, advisory committee members of the Arab Women’s Organization, as well as experts and representatives from international organizations and regional bodies with common interests.
Morocco is represented at the conference, hosted by the Arab Republic of Egypt, the current chair of the Arab Women’s Organization, by a delegation led by Naima Ibn Yahya, Minister of Solidarity, Social Inclusion, and Family and executive council member of the organization.
The conference aims to create a safe digital space for women and girls in the Arab region, providing opportunities to enhance their activities and participation in public life.
It also seeks to identify all forms of crimes directed against women and girls using information technology, including current, emerging, and future crimes, in hopes of reaching a consensus on a unified general term encompassing all these practices and crimes. Furthermore, it aims to encourage the development of legislative and legal frameworks at the national levels of member states to curb these phenomena, guided by comparative legislation and international and regional agreements. Recommendations will also be made regarding the development of policies, strategies, and mechanisms to activate laws based on lessons learned from pioneering international experiences that can be applied by other countries.
In this context, Fadia Kiwan, Director General of the Arab Women’s Organization, emphasized the sensitivity of the topic chosen for this session during the opening session of the organization’s 10th general conference. She pointed out that the conference gathers a group of decision-makers in women’s affairs along with a distinguished array of male and female researchers in communication technology, information, and artificial intelligence, particularly in addressing cyber violence that disproportionately affects women and girls.
She clarified that this is a global issue faced by all peoples without exception, but the confrontation takes on both local and international dimensions.
The conference is structured to include six working sessions where 26 male and female experts from Arab countries will present scholarly papers on the topic of cyber violence against women and girls and how to combat it from various aspects, including fundamental concepts, legislative and legal references, national and international experiences, and the use of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity to protect women.
The conference program also includes a roundtable discussing the intermediary responsibility of civil society, corporations, and global platforms in protecting women and girls from cyber violence.
It is noteworthy that the conference will announce the new cycle of the Arab Girl and Technology Award for 2025, as well as launch the organization’s prepared guide titled “Training Guide on the Methodology for Preparing National Reports Submitted to the Regional Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women – CEDAW.”
Additionally, the closing session of the conference will witness the formal transfer of the presidency of the Supreme Council of the Arab Women’s Organization from the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Kingdom of Morocco.
