The Hariri Foundation, a non-profit organisation which was founded by Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al- Hariri, is one of the three main sponsors of the Arab Women's Summit, from which the Arab Women's Organisation (AWO) was born. Baheya , Rafiq's sister, is a member of the Lebanese parliament, and on the board of the Foundation. A strong advocate for Arab and Lebanese women's rights, she spoke to Reem Leila about her efforts in this field How did the idea of the Arab Women's Organisation (AWO) emerge? The idea came to us several years ago, in order to unite Arab women under one umbrella. I presented my suggestion to Mrs Suzanne Mubarak after the first National Conference of the National Council for Women (NCW), which was held in the year 2000. Both Mrs Mubarak and Dr Esmat Abdel-Meguid, the former secretary-general of the Arab League, accepted, and thoroughly studied, my suggestion. By the end of the 2001 Arab Women's Summit, the idea to formulate the AWO became crystal clear. The organisation is going to be a specialised Arab League agency which aims to advance the status of Arab women. Our main goal was to support women's efforts to obtain their rights. It was really difficult to lay the groundwork for such an idea. We had to go through lots of official procedures to prepare for the organisation's start-up. There were lots of sensitive issues which had to be resolved. In the beginning, most people doubted such an organisation's efficiency, but thanks to Mrs Mubarak -- who whole-heartedly adopted the idea -- all the problems have been solved via her own personal intervention. It thus became possible to unite Arab women under one umbrella. Accordingly, the executive committee of the AWO includes the Arab League, the NCW, and the Hariri Foundation. This shows that a comprehensive body has been created to take care of the welfare of Arab women and to solve all the complex problems from which all Arab women suffer. According to Angela King, the assistant to the secretary-general of the UN, by having such a Summit and Organisation, "we have placed Arab women at the top of all women around the world." There is an item in the AWO treaty concerning the membership of Non- Governmental Organisations (NGOs) -- was this meant as a general position, or specifically regarding the Hariri Foundation? I do not believe in neglecting people. If it were up to me, I would have asked for an AWO consisting only of different political parties and NGOs, without government representation. Why do we ignore the role of the NGOs, which are in close contact with ordinary women and are well aware of their problems? We are targeting the welfare of Arab society. How could those of us who are involved in women's affairs make the same mistakes as other agencies do -- like neglecting a very important sector of society like NGOs. For a long time, NGOs were the ones actually carrying the burden of solving women's problems. I cannot now come and tell them, you cannot be represented in such an important organisation. No one can work alone, all sectors of our societies should cooperate together for achieving better results for women. How could the role of NGOs be more effective in the context of their membership of the AWO? NGOs should be given a proper chance to prove their effectiveness, because they are the only organisations which are in close contact with people's daily problems, especially those of women. Also -- we as representatives to our governments have to facilitate everything for them, in order to be able to serve our societies well. That is why it is very important not to annul, or neglect their presence -- because other foreign agencies might benefit from our negligence and step in to provide these NGOs with the needed facilities. Accordingly, such agencies could impose their foreign ideas, concepts, and cultures, which surely do not suit the nature of our society. The role of the Hariri Foundation in regard to the AWO has diminished a little of late -- why? This is not true at all, and by all means. The executive committee of the AWO (in which we are members, along with the NCW and the Arab League) is working very hard for the preparations of the coming Arab Women's Summit which will be held in Amman. There is also another Preparatory Supreme Committee -- apart from the executive committee of the AWO -- headed by her Highness Queen Rania. The NCW, Arab League, and the Hariri Foundation are exerting great efforts to solve whatever problems will arise. We may be lacking in media coverage, but definitely not in our work. One of the major problems facing the AWO is financial support -- will the Hariri Foundation play a role in solving this problem? This is a general problem in all organisations affiliated to the Arab League. The Arab countries' role in financing the organisations of the Arab League has diminished due to the general economic conditions all over the world. Right now we cannot say that the AWO is suffering from the lack of financial support, because it is still beginning. None of the members of the AWO will let the organisation suffer from such a problem. Though the Hariri Foundation is a non-profit organisation, we will provide the organisation (according to our capabilities) with the money needed for it to continue in an efficient and credible way. But what we are really afraid of, is that the AWO would turn into an international agency accepting foreign donations, which we hope we will not need in the future, for they could impose and implement their foreign policies in the Arab countries through it. We are hoping that all Arab countries (especially the wealthy ones), as well as big NGOs, will participate in financing the AWO, because we cannot be the only ones who are financing the organisation. We have lots of other projects for comprehensive human empowerment, which also require a lot of money. What is the nature of the role Arab first ladies will play in the organisation? Of course, there are countries whose first ladies already play important roles -- supported by the constitution -- in Egypt, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Emirates, and other Arab countries. Via this legal presence we could guarantee the continuity of the AWO as well as the implementation of its recommendations. As for the countries whose first ladies do not have a constitutional role -- we are hoping that they could play an effective role, via their membership in the organisation, to improve women's conditions in their own countries. There are some Arab countries which have refused to sign the AWO treaty. Are you going to try through the Hariri Foundation to convince them to sign? I have played a big role in convincing my own country to sign the AWO treaty quickly, and the ratification will take place as soon as the next parliamentarian session starts. There is tremendous cooperation between the Hariri Foundation and lots of Arab countries, but we definitely do not interfere in their domestic policies. What are the main points meant to be discussed in the coming Arab Women Summit? We expect to work on the report of the previous six themed forums which have been held since the last summit. The NCW is exerting great efforts to finish this report on time. We are also going to discuss the final format of the AWO, in order to announce its approval during the summit. In addition to the various themes prepared by different Arab delegates which will be discussed, we are going to have a special session devoted to NGOs, and their activities, and how to improve and activate their performance.
