Women U.S. state legislators meet with women parliamentarians from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Morocco and Tunisia in Ankara, Turkey to advance women’s leadership in conflict affected areas.
ANKARA, TURKEY (June 18, 2013) – Senator Nan Orrock participated in an international exchange from May 27-May 31 as a member of a delegation of U.S. women legislators in the Women Legislators’ Lobby (WiLL) network, a program of Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND). Through WAND’s joint program with the EastWest Institute’s Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention, U.S. legislators and women parliamentarians from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Morocco, Tunisia, and Turkey gathered in Ankara for a peer-to-peer exchange focused on promoting women as agents of change in political life, conflict prevention, and peace-building.
The most pressing policy goal identified by leaders from the Middle East region was ensuring the protection of Afghan women’s rights following the withdrawal of U.S. and international security forces in 2014. Minnesota Senate President Sandy Pappas said, “We all share a common concern for the plight of women and girls in conflict affected areas and the alarming potential for a stark reversal of the gains that Afghan women and girls have made in recent years.”
Senator Orrock said, “We understand that including women in high-level decision-making roles and advancing the interests of women and girls is essential to securing sustainable peace for the entire region. Policies that direct U.S. and international foreign aid to support these efforts can expand the potential for greater stability and peaceful solutions. And lasting peace is a wish widely shared by people of good will, here and abroad. We came home resolved to take this message to Washington.”
An expanded group of U.S. women political leaders and parliamentarians will re-convene in Washington, D.C., in September 2013, as part of the WiLL/WAND National Women’s Leadership Conference. The program will focus on women’s political leadership and international security issues and will include meetings with Members of Congress and the State Department and the Administration.
RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
June 18, 2013
For Information Contact:
Jennifer Yarber, Interim Director
Kate Greer, Broadcast Specialist
Kate.Greer@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028