In episode 20 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud Anware Mnasri, Judge in the administrative court and co-founder of Thala Solidaire and the League of Women Voters 00:00 Introduction 01:50 Women’s Impact on Tunisia’s New Constitution 04:04 No Going Back: Tunisia’s Modified Personal Status Code 09:57 Gender Quota and Achieving Transitional Justice 15:46 Civil Societies’ Role in Training Women Ministers 18:01 Combating Violence Against Women in Politics 28:45 The Tunisian Revolution: A Window of Opportunities for Women NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Music by Marc Codsi.

In episode 19 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with HH Sheikha Intisar AlSabah, Social Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Author and Film Producer and the Founder and Chairwoman of Intisar Foundation focusing on the mental health of women in the Arab World. 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Work, passion and vision 08:58 Drama therapy and its valuable tools 13:42 A personal experience of Kuwait’s Invasion 17:22 Psychological health and its impact on peace-building efforts in the Arab World 21:35 A 30-year vision: supporting one million Arab Women 27:30 Men and mental health 29:00 Entering the World of Drama Therapy: Where to begin? NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Music by Marc Codsi.

In episode 18 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Lina Abi Rafeh, Gender rights activist, author, and Senior Advisor for Global Women’s Rights at the Arab Institute for Women at the Lebanese American University 00:00 Introduction 01:48 Inspiration and Motives for Years of Human Rights Activism 03:56 Pinpointing Entry Points: How to Make a Difference? 09:20 50 Years of Arab Feminism, a book by Lina Abi Rafeh 14:48 Main Challenges of Mainstreaming the WPS Agenda 21:24 Ties to the Region: A Bizarre Dance of Love and Hate 26:31 A Guide for the Youth to Take Charge NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Music by Marc Codsi.

In episode 16 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Nouzha Chekrouni, Former Ambassador of Morocco to Canada (check please) 00:00 Introduction 01:09 Choosing the political field 02:40 Keep on going forward 05:56 Setting priorities 09:50 The importance of Gender quotas 10:58 Moroccan women in the face of today’s challenges 13:17 Building political allies 17:02 Responding to false and inaccurate information 21:01 Facing discrimination at work NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Music by Marc Codsi.

In episode 15 of the #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Sanaa Al-Banawi, Knowledge Management Specialist on WPS Agenda. 0:00 Introduction 1:30 Current Work and Main Concerns of the Jordanian National Commission 3:00 Deciding on the Nation's Priorities 05:52 Personal Motives and the Means to Engage in this Field 08:55 A Success Story 11:47 Shaping Students’ Mindsets 14:17 Overcoming Personal Hardships at Work 17:44 Creating Opportunities for the Youth 19:29 The Quota Experience in Jordan 20:57 Inspiring Arab Youth to Continue Along this Path NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Music by Marc Codsi.0

In episode 14 of the #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Aleksandra Dier and Azadeh Moaveni about the report: “Women’s participation in local mediation: Lessons from Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen” Read the report here: https://bit.ly/3PcSBuv Aleksandra Dier is the Regional Advisor on WPS in the MENA for UN Women and Azadeh Moaveni who directs the Gender and Conflict Project at Crisis group. 0:00 Introduction 1:33 Women’s Participation in Local Mediation 4:28 Major Findings 5:50 The Concept of “Insider Mediation” 11:17 A Perspective on the conflicts in the MENA region 18:22 The Digitalization of Peacebuilding 24:25 Obstacles Facing Women Mediators 28:41 The Question of Responsibility 34:39 Revisiting the Digitalization of Peacebuilding NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Music by Marc Codsi.0

In episode 13 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Faten Chalhoub, Mediator at the Professional Centre for Mediation - USJ, Beirut. 0:00 Introduction 1:37 Concept of local mediation 3:16 The connection between local mediation and regional/national issues 4:31 Main risks facing women mediators 9:54 Developing mediation skills 14:22 A personal experience 18:00 Building a nation 20:26 Finding a common ground NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Music by Marc Codsi.

In episode 12 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Rouba Mhaissen, Economist, activist, community mobilizer, and Founder and Director of Sawa for Development and Aid 00:00 Introduction 00:45 The role of a community mobilizer 01:56 From an economist to a peacebuilder 03:08 Challenges regarding Lebanese sentiments 05:00 Conception of Sawa and its rise into the international plain 09:30 A personal experience 12:07 Barriers to evolving 15: 28 The future of Syrian women 17:15 Hope and motivation 18:31 The global situation today NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Music by Marc Codsi.

In episode 11 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Batoul Mufreh, Project coordinator at the Palestinian Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies - Masarat 00:00 Introduction 01:02 Batoul’s battles and challenges she faced 04:25 Obstacles while building peace and bridges in Palestine 09:53 International community’s role in Palestine regarding the WPS agenda 14:07 Steps needed to protect women in the field 17:30 Effectiveness of the National Action Plan for 1325 in Palestine 19:41 Testimony 24:20 Message for the Arab Youth NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Music by Marc Codsi.

In episode 10 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Muneera Al Khalifa, Executive Director of Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies. 00:00 Introduction 01:58 How Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies saw light 06:20 Equal Opportunities Committee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bahrain 12:00 Applying a gender lens to the codes guiding our day-to-day activities 14:49 The importance of political will for matters of inclusion 18:10 Motherhood, diplomacy, and compromise 21:44 Challenges and lessons learnt in navigating leadership 27:11 Vision for the Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies 33:34 Message to the Arab youth on achieving more parity in the field of diplomacy NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Music by Marc Codsi.

In episode 9 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Sara Minkara, Special Advisor on International Disability Rights at the U.S. Department of State. 00:00 Introduction 4:17 The challenges Sara faced 6:16 Realizing being blind is not a disability 9:32 Accessibility for people with disabilities 13:22 Addressing the issue of peace and security 17:06 Inclusion for people with disabilities 18:51 Legislation, laws, and inclusivity 24:41 The importance of inclusion NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Music by Marc Codsi.

In episode 8 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Rachel Dore-Weeks, head of UN Women Lebanon. 00:00 Introduction 01:29 #TheMissingPeace campaign 03:33 Women representation in politics, national dialogue, and peace building efforts 06:29 Barriers to women’s participation in politics and national dialogue 10:10 #TheMissingPeace messaging 15:55 Women’s Quota in the Parliamentary Election Law 18:22 Needed steps to increase Women participation NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Music by Marc Codsi.

00:00 introduction 01:17 Passion for politics 06:00 Experience as a female candidate running for elections in Iraq 08:57 Role of family 11:25 Next steps for Sara 13:59 Women in Iraqi politics 16:10 Social media, politics, and cyberbullying 19:41 Lessons learnt and advice for women and youth’s participation in politics In the second part of the special episode on Iraq, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Sara Ayad Allawi, a leader in the National Iraqi Alliance (NIA) and a candidate in the recent Iraqi elections. NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Music by Marc Codsi.

00:00 Introduction 00:53 On the recent Iraqi elections 05:12 Women in Iraqi elections 2021 and the Quota system 07:32 Barriers to women in politics 11:11 Women in peace and security 13:20 Public discourse in Iraq 17:13 Elevating women’s voices and funding opportunities 22:46 Role of Iraqi Expats in empowering women In this special two-part episode on Iraq, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor-in-Chief of The National. NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Music by Marc Codsi.

0.00 Intro 0.57 Who is Zineb Touimi-Benjelloun 1.38 Zineb’s journey 13:14 Women’s liberation through laws 16:00 What unifies Arab women 18:54 How to get to the UN 26:43 Gender inequality in the workplace and the pay gap 31.52 Better representation of women in peace building Zineb Touimi-Benjelloun is the Former UN Resident Coordinator to Kuwait and Albania. She served at the United Nations Fund for Women, UNIFEM, (now part of UN Women) as the organization’s Representative in Morocco and Regional Program Director for North Africa. Prior to this, she was the Program Coordinator for UNIFEM’s North Africa Office and the UNIFEM Gender Advisor for Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Music by Marc Codsi.

0:00 Intro 2:00 What is happening in Libya? 7:53 Change-phobic 14:14 'Together We Build it' 19:20 Friday Democracy Meetings 28:52 The Role of Women in Libya 36:16 Inclusion 44:19 Peacebuilding 46:32 The Long Run Video edition available on YouTube. BIO: Hajer Sharief is a 29 -year-old Libyan active woman peacebuilder who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize owing to her humanitarian work that she began at the age of 19 only. She advised the Security Council on issues regarding youth. Being severely affected by the escalation of conflict after the outbreak of the Libyan revolution in 2011 and witnessing her country descend into war, she refused to stay silent in the face of oppression and inequality. She founded the organization “Together We Build It” which developed into a platform for women and youth to achieve self-development in areas related to human security and combating extremism and violence. Her work mainly focuses on promoting the participation of women and youth in peacebuilding efforts in Libya and has therefore played a prominent role in advancing the Women, Peace, and Security agenda across the region. NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. This episode is produced by Ronnie Chatah. Music by Marc Codsi. Subtitles by Sara Hamzeh.

0:00 Intro 1:29 Journey into Peace-building 8:49 What is Track II Diplomacy? 15:18 What is the Message? 23:46 Overcoming Separate Rooms 29:50 What Happened to Regional Protests? 35:44 Work in Dialogue 42:35 Where is Peace-building Going? Video edition available on YouTube. Randa Slim is the Director of the Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program at the Middle East Institute and a non-resident fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced and International Studies (SAIS) Foreign Policy Institute. A former vice president of the International Institute for Sustained Dialogue, Slim has been a senior program advisor at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a guest scholar at the United States Institute of Peace, a program director at Resolve, Inc, and a program officer at the Kettering Foundation. A long-term practitioner of Track II dialogue and peace-building processes in the Middle East and Central Asia, she is the author of several studies, book chapters, and articles on conflict management, post-conflict peace-building, and Middle East politics. NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. This episode is produced by Ronnie Chatah. Music by Marc Codsi. Subtitles by Sara Hamzeh.

0:00 Intro 1:55 Who is Rana Ghanem? 18:10 What's going on in Yemen? 25:39 Why are you in Cairo? 31:43 The Role of Yemeni Women 33:57 A Message to Arab Women Click to watch: https://youtu.be/QMf355sGN5M Rana Ghanem is a Yemeni political activist. She is the Assistant Secretary of the Nasserist Unionist People's Organization in Yemen, and the only women in the Yemeni government’s delegation to the #Stockholm peace talks in 2018. NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. This episode is produced by Ronnie Chatah. Music by Marc Codsi. Subtitles by Sara Hamzeh.

0:00 Intro 2:47 How do we really do this? 5:08 Board on Mediation 9:28 What are Arab governments doing? 12:52 Putting Issues in the Forefront 18:54 Jordan 27:09 Peacekeeping Operations 29:41 Advice for Men Video edition available on YouTube. Nasser Judeh was appointed to the Senate of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on 9 July 2017. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs (later Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates) from 2009 to 2017 and Deputy Prime Minister from 2015 to 2017. He held various positions both in government and in the private sector, including amongst others, State Minister for Media Affairs & Communication; Official Spokesperson of the Government; Chairman of the Board of Information and Communication Expertise (ICE); Minister of Information; Director General of Jordan Radio and Television Corporation and Director of the Jordan Information Bureau (JIB) in London. Throughout his career he advocated for women’s participation and inclusion in peace processes. NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. This episode is produced by Ronnie Chatah. Music by Marc Codsi. Subtitles by Sara Hamzeh.

0:00 Intro 4:13 Media Role 10:33 A Voice for Women 11:30 Who is JanetBot? 18:54 Stories from the Ground 23:05 Arab Spring 2.0 Video edition: https://youtu.be/9JQnxe8_LPg Roula Khalaf is Editor of the Financial Times. She was previously deputy editor from 2016 to 2020, overseeing a range of newsroom initiatives and award winning editorial projects and leading a global network of over 100 foreign correspondents. Before taking up the deputy editor role, Khalaf was the FT's foreign editor and oversaw the FT's operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Before that, as Middle East editor, she launched a Middle East edition and led coverage of the Arab Spring. Khalaf was named foreign commentator of the year at the Editorial Intelligence Comment Awards in 2016 and her series on Qatar won the Foreign Press Association’s Feature story of the year in 2013. She joined the FT in 1995 as North Africa correspondent and before that was a staff writer for Forbes magazine in New York. This podcast is currently available in audio format on Soundcloud. More platforms will be added shortly. NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations. UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. This episode is produced by Ronnie Chatah (@thebeirutbanyan). Music by Marc Codsi. Video subtitles by Sara Hamzeh.