, the Arab Women Organisation's first director-general, spoke to Reem Leila about the newly established group's agenda The Arab Women Organisation (AWO) aims to improve the status of Arab women. Although affiliated to the Arab League, the AWO's administration is independent. With the region facing some of its most serious challenges in years, fulfilling the group's mandate will certainly not be easy. AWO Director-General told Al-Ahram Weekly that eliminating women's illiteracy, alleviating poverty, and improving the health status of Arab women top the group's agenda, which also includes creating jobs, strengthening social welfare programmes, developing human resources, as well as amending laws that discriminate against women or prevent them from undertaking an active role in the social, economic and political spheres. All of these matters are directly related to highlighting the importance of the active role Arab women should play in the advancement and development of their societies. According to Badran, one way the organisation plans to achieve some of these ambitious goals is by collecting and disseminating information pertaining to the current status of Arab women. This will be done via research, as well as by organising seminars, conferences and workshops to discuss problems and establish programmes to alleviate them. "The organisation is going to organise such activities in collaboration with other Arab and international governmental and non-governmental organisations," she explained. The AWO's affiliation with the Arab League is meant to ensure its institutional representation at the regional level. Its members currently come from 13 Arab countries, and include the wives of Arab leaders, as well as a select group of consultants and prominent figures from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) across the Arab world. The AWO's Supreme Council -- whose members are all Arab first ladies -- will set the organisation's general policies, while the executive council -- whose members come from state organisations specialising in women's issues such as the Egyptian National Council for Women (NCW) and the Lebanese Al-Hariri Foundation -- will be responsible for implementing AWO policies. Badran hopes for extensive cooperation and coordination with NGOs, since they are the only bodies that really have direct contact with women at all levels. "They will provide the AWO with the necessary data on any of the problems being addressed," Badran said, "and will have an important role in implementing AWO projects." Thirteen of 22 Arab countries have ratified the November 2001 treaty establishing the group: They include Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Syria, Sudan, Oman, Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen and Libya, which only ratified the treaty two weeks ago. Badran, who as a member of the NCW has played a prominent role in formulating strategies to improve the status of Egyptian women, admitted that scraping away at traditions that have kept so many women on the margins of public life for generations is no easy task. She is, however, optimistic. "Through cooperative efforts and open dialogue, exchange of expertise and unity in drawing up plans of action -- all supported by the will to accomplish a leap forward for the sake of our societies -- the challenges of the present will be overcome, and the future is sure to be bright." Badran said the fact that the international community is paying close attention to the AWO's activities makes the group's success all the more important. "We have to exert great efforts to prove our credibility and seriousness," she said. Throughout much of the Arab world, women remain virtually absent from the political, cultural, economic, and social arenas. "That is why a few Arab countries have refused to even sign the AWO treaty," Badran said. She is determined that their absence "definitely will not affect the organisation's credibility. At the same time, there will be attempts to convince them to sign the treaty, in order to improve the welfare of all Arab women." Among the main activities being planned by the AWO is the establishment of an Arab legal body to study laws and recommend the amendments needed to foster the empowerment of Arab women in various fields. The group will include leading legal experts from each of the member states. Amongst the other projects in the pipeline: situation analysis and assessment of empowerment programmes; an integrated illiteracy eradication programme; a project to enhance Western societies' awareness of the achievements of Arab women; and a project to help improve the performance of Arab media. The organisation's president will serve a two-year term, with the position rotating between Arab first ladies according to alphabetical order (in Arabic) of the member countries. The current president is Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan. The organisation's finances will largely emerge from member states, based on the contribution schedule already used by the Arab League for its budget. Its resources also include financial donations and other voluntary contributions from individuals or institutions that the executive and supreme councils approve. A Trust Fund -- the brainchild of Mrs Suzanne Mubarak -- has also been established, with all the ratifying countries paying equal shares; the fund's profits will help the AWO finance its various goals. The group's headquarters will be in Cairo, where the Arab League is also based. According to Badran, the office itself serves as an example of the cooperation that is possible. "Mrs Mubarak took the initiative to support the headquarters' renovation, Sheikha Fatma Bent Mubarak of the United Arab Emirates provided the office furniture and logistical equipment, while Queen Rania Al- Abdullah is supporting the construction of the organisation's Web site."
