Support feminist activists and Islamic feminists collaborated to target patriarchy in the aftermath of the Arab uprisings.

Why we care: The gains for women’s rights in the Middle East and North Africa are being threatened by new governments that have few women in decision making positions.

How we’re solving this: A two-year program for young academics and activists to create recommendations for achieving women’s equal participation in governance.

While women of all ages, ethnicities and social statuses took part in the uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the new elected governments have a very weak representation of women.

Women’s rights advocates have been working for decades on “Islamic gains” as they fought to improve women’s rights and lives under the Sharia laws. Feminist activists and Islamic feminists collaborated to target patriarchy, not religion per se, but new fundamentalist and governments are eroding those hard-fought gains.

ISIS Center for Women and Development in Morocco will convene motivated students, young activists, politicians, and scholars for an international conference to ensure women are prepared and organized to overcome the threats upon their human rights. Through a series of activities, participants from all sectors will discuss the challenges of patriarchal attitudes they face, and the goals of full rights and gender equality they want to achieve. To continue the momentum of the conference, women will participate in workshops to formulate strategic plans for maintaining the gains and for further promoting women’s full participation in politics, the economy, and in education and healthcare. Women academics will partner with local NGOs to bridge gaps between civil society and academia by publishing best practices and case studies to further women’s empowerment and advocacy. Lastly, women participants will develop new economic and political frameworks for women, with a goal of increasing women’s confidence and leadership skills throughout the MENA region.