On September 20, 2025, the Women’s Conference was held in the city of Hasakah, organized by Kongra Star and the Zenobia Women’s Community, with the participation of around 700 women from diverse ethnic, religious, and social backgrounds, both in person and online. This conference convened at a pivotal moment for Syria and the region.
The conference embraced the diversity of Syrian women—Arabs, Kurds, Armenians, Syriacs, Assyrians, Yazidis, Druze, Alawites, Circassians, and others from various religions and affiliations—affirming that women’s strength lies in their unity, and that their many voices harmonize into one call under the slogan:
“Women’s Alliance as the Foundation for Building Justice and Democracy in a Decentralized and Unified Syria’
From this perspective, the conference served as a collective space for discussion, dialogue, and solidarity, aimed at shaping the contours of a new Syria in which women assume leadership and occupy a central role. Its convening marked a historic milestone, affirming that women—who for decades endured marginalization and exclusion—are now able to transform their suffering into creative power, turning resilience into collective energy to reshape a future built on freedom, justice, and equality.
Women have made immense sacrifices throughout the course of the revolution. Yet they continue to face systematic exclusion and direct targeting, and grave violations against them persist. Many have been martyred, others subjected to rape, and the fate of many abducted women remains unknown to this day. These profound and existential issues are not confined to Syrian women alone; they are part of a cross-border women’s cause, casting their shadow over the entire region and the world.
Participants discussed women’s issues in their multiple dimensions, emphasizing the role of women in confronting war and terrorism through awareness, community organization, and tools of self-protection. They affirmed that ethnic and religious diversity is a national asset and a cornerstone for building a cohesive democratic society. They also stressed the importance of women’s alliances and developing a shared vision that strengthens women’s position and ensures their effective participation in any upcoming political or constitutional project.
Recommendations and Outcomes:
1. Call for a comprehensive national women’s conference, serving as a platform uniting Syrian women from all backgrounds, with the aim of shaping a shared vision for Syria’s future and drafting constitutional principles that guarantee full equality and women’s rights, while safeguarding and advancing the gains achieved during the revolution.
2. Struggle for the establishment of a pluralistic, decentralized, democratic Syria based on freedom and social justice, guaranteeing full equality among all ethnic and religious groups.
3. Demand amendments to the interim constitutional declaration to ensure women’s rights, basic freedoms, and the strengthening of democratic participation.
4. Reject the 20% quota for women’s participation in elections, affirming that it is unfair and does not reflect women’s real role in society; demand that women’s representation be no less than 50% in all electoral processes and leadership positions, thereby consolidating genuine partnership and full equality in decision-making.
5. Consider the achievements of women in North and East Syria as both women’s and national achievements, and work to strengthen and generalize them as a shared legacy for all Syrian women.
6. Launch a broad women’s campaign inside and outside Syria to press for building a democratic, decentralized, pluralistic Syria based on freedom and social justice.
7. Strengthen the Syrian women’s alliance through building a national network uniting women’s struggles across all Syrian territories, connecting women from different communities to confront all forms of marginalization and exclusion.
8. Unite women’s struggles to organize themselves and build an active social force that lays the foundation for a democratic, ethical, and ecological society, based on the principle that women’s freedom is the cornerstone of freedom for the whole society.
9. Consolidate women’s political participation through fair and effective representation in administrative institutions, government bodies, and local councils.
10. Ensure women’s contribution to building community trust, reinforcing civil peace, promoting reconciliation, and rejecting the discourse of violence and hatred.
11. Establish tools of self-protection for women through awareness, education, training, and community initiatives against all forms of violence.
12. Take effective measures to protect women politicians, leaders, and activists from systematic hostile media campaigns, including awareness, advocacy, legal support, and strengthening alternative media to raise their voices safely.
13. Highlight the value of ethnic and religious diversity as a social strength that enhances coexistence, solidarity, and social justice.
14. Develop economic and social programs directed at women to empower them with self-reliance and enable their participation in rebuilding society.
15. Ensure women’s role in transitional justice by guaranteeing their active participation in truth-seeking, accountability, reparation, and national reconciliation processes, preventing the recurrence of violations and strengthening social justice.
16. Emphasize the importance of the safe return of displaced people from Afrin, Serêkaniyê, and Tal Abyad to their homes, ensuring their rights, safety, and stability.
17. Support the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) and affirm their role and status as a cornerstone in protecting women and society, backing their efforts in political and social participation, and recognizing them as a living model of women’s empowerment in confronting war and violence.
18. Reinforce women’s struggle in Syria through communication and cooperation with global women’s movements, exchanging experiences, and amplifying the voice of Syrian women as an active part of the international struggle for women’s rights.
With these outcomes, the conference declared that Syrian women are determined to be the true reference point in shaping the future of the country, and that a women’s alliance transcending narrow identities is the path toward a democratic, decentralized, pluralistic, free, and just Syria.