Gender & Citizenship Initiative in the Arab Region: Publications: Studies, Articles, Lessons Learned [ alphabetical ]

- Studies, Articles, Lessons Learned [sort by year]
- Reports and Reviews
- Books, Guides and Manuals
- Other Publications

Advancing Gender Equality – Using CEDAW and UN Security Council Resolution 1325. [English]. 2008.
The purpose of this training module, prepared by UNIFEM, is to build the capacity and awareness of gender equality advocates in government and civil society in the Southern Caucasus to advocate for and support the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and UN Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.

Al Kashef [Arabic]. 2006.
This booklet includes 8 chapters: - Sex and Gender - Social Role and Gender - Social and Psychological environment and gender roles - Concept of Development - Gender as part of Development - Gender Analysis - Strategies of Gender Mainstreaming in Development - Implementation, monitoring and evaluation

Analytic Study - The Contribution of Married Bahraini Working Women in Bearing the Economic Burden with their Husbands within the Family Household [Arabic].
This study aims at identifying how much Bahraini women contribute to the burdening expenses inside a family household and what are the reasons behind this contribution, and the extent of their support for the consolidated loans as well as housing laws which incorporate the salary of the spouse to obtain housing services. The report also aims at clarifying the extent of the support of Bahraini working women for the Civil Service Law.

Bahraini Women In Figures [Arabic]. 2006.
This study discusses statistical findings pertaining to advances achieved by Bahraini women in the spheres of health and education as well as in economic, social and political spheres.

Brief on the Status of Women's Rights in Lebanon [English][Arabic].
The page provides access to brief reviews of the Lebanese women’s right, government’s policies to diminish discrimination against women, women’s advocacy groups and their reports to the UN CEDAW’s Committee.

Building a New Iraq: Women’s Role in Reconstruction Women’s Role in Strengthening Civil Society [English]. 2003.
The findings and conclusions of the Woodrow Wilson International Center and Women Waging Peace joint project entitled "Conflict Prevention Project: Middle East". The document discusses the changes that must be implemented in the fields of civil society, constitution, legislation, governance and democracy and security to ensure the rehabilitation, progression and improvement of women's conditions and status in post-conflict Iraq.

Building Democracy in Jordan: Women's Political Participation, Political Party Life and Democratic Election [English][Arabic]. 2005.
This report discussed women's participation in public life and its impact on women in Jordan, the political parties and the electoral systems in Jordan.

Building Democracy in Yemen: Women's Political Participation, Political Party Life and Democratic Elections [English][Arabic]. 2005.
This report discussed the political participation by Yemeni women, the constitutional and legal Bases of Party Pluralism in Yemen and the impact of their implementation.

Domestic Violence and Shari’a: A Comparative Study of Muslim Societies in the Middle East, Africa and Asia [English]. 2001.
An article by Lisa Hajjar provided by the Emory University- Islamic Family Law web site. The article is a comparative assessment of the rights of women and the domestic violence in Muslim societies in the Middle East, Africa and Asia with a focus on the functions and uses of religious and other legal texts.

Economic Empowerment of Women in Iraq: The Way Forward [English]. 2006.
This briefing summarizes the views expressed by participants in two meetings held by the United States Institute of Peace in coordination with the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), on February 1, February 22, and April 19, 2006, to discuss the current economic progress of women in Iraq and to identify challenges and options for the future.

Elections: the Gender Dimension [English][Arabic].
The electoral process itself, even in well-functioning, ‘mature’ democracies, often creates serious barriers to the participation of women, both as candidates and, to a lesser extent, as voters. Women seldom make significant gains in the electoral process without pressure and support from women’s organizations, advocacy, lobbying, training of women candidates, alliance-building and external financial assistance. Within this arena, there are many areas for possible UNDP support.

Electoral Processes in Selected Countries of the Middle East: A Case Study [English]. 2004.
This paper, published by the United Nations Office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues and advancement of Women (OSAGI), attempts to give a brief analysis and assessment of how the electoral process in Yemen, Lebanon and Jordan was supportive, or not, of women’s participation, and then identify commonalities and differences which might help in drawing conclusions and recommendations on how to better support women’s full participation in elections in the Arab region as a whole, and possibly other post-conflict countries.

Empowering Ourselves: The Role of Women's NGOs in the Enforcement of the Women's Convention [English]. 1999.
This article explores the involvement of women's NGOs in enforcing the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and demonstrates that they have become major players in the national and international system, and have significant effects in enforcing the treaty obligations of States who have ratified it.

Encounter Between Feminism and Reformism in Contemporary Iran [English]. 2001.
By Parvin Paidar. The United Nations- Research Institute for Social Development- Gender Justice, Development and Rights Project, 2000-2002.

Fact Sheet on Women and Decision-Making [English]. 1996.
Fact Sheet on Women in Government as at January 1996. The UN Division for the Advancement of Women has created a statistical database on women in the executive branch of governments. Data for 187 countries was extracted form information published in the 1996 Edition of the Worldwide Government Directory (Worldwide Government Directories, Inc.).

Family Status Issues Among Egypt's Copts: A Brief Overview [English]. 2007.
The following article discusses the impact of the Egyptian Family Status Law of 1955 (which is still in effect) on the country's Coptic population. It provides a concise overview of these laws, especially in light of the dearth of resources in English on the topic.

Feminism and Islam [English].
Feminism and Islam: Legal and Literary Perspectives, introduction, by Mai Yamani. The book addresses the obstacles facing women in their bid at equality in areas of family law and civil rights.

From WID to GAD: Conceptual Shifts in the Women and Development Discourse [English]. 1995.
From WID to GAD: Conceptual Shifts in the Women and Development Discourse, by Shahrashoub Razavi and Carol Miller. Occasional Paper No. 1- United Nations, Fourth World Conference on Women, February 1995. This paper, provides an introduction to "women and development" by tracing the main trends in the way women's issues have been conceptualized - women in development (WID) and gender and development (GAD) - in the development context.

Gender and Crime Prevention: Where are we Now? [English]. 2006.
The paper discusses the parallel streams of work on violence against women and women’s safety which have emerged over the past twenty or more years, and the more recent, and often misunderstood, concept of gender. It argues that there is a need to integrate.

Gender Budgets Make Cents: Understanding Gender Responsive Budgets [English]. 2002.
This publication provides a comprehensive understanding of gender responsive budgets.

Gender Equality and Human Development: The Instrumental Rationale [English]. 2005.
This paper focuses on the social pathways through which women’s access to resources might operate to improve their own and their children’s welfare. The author considers some of the evidence linking women’s access to various kinds of resources to fertility rates, children’s health and mortality rates, children’s education and women’s own health and well-being.

Gender Issues and Concerns in Financing for Development [English]. 2004.
The objective of this background paper is to use a gendered approach in examining the development financing strategies endorsed in the 2002 Monterrey Consensus. The paper seeks to identify what needs to be done to ensure that gender perspectives are incorporated in the global effort for economic and gender justice, peace and the realization of human rights.

Gender Issues in the Challenge of Access to Human Rights [English]. 2003.
This paper aims to provide an overview of the major gender-related issues that arise in problems of access to those human rights that are written in law and which are in theory protected by local, national and international institutions.

Gender Justice and Accountability in Peace Support Operations: Closing the Gaps [English]. 2004.
The goal of this policy briefing is to provide a focused look at the challenges and obstacles to ensuring gender justice and accountability in the context of international peace support operations (PSOs) and to provide recommendations for UN and regional peacekeeping bodies responsible for peacekeeping.

Gender Justice, Development and Rights [English]. 2003.
Twelve studies were commissioned under the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) research project. The studies focus on the contemporary issues of neo-liberal policies, democracy and multiculturalism. This paper provides an overview of the issues and findings of these studies.

Gender, Governance and the ‘Feminisation of Poverty’ [English]. 1999.
This paper summarizes thinking on the theoretical and empirical relationships between gender inequality and poverty, including reflection on how these relationships have been articulated in development policy discourse.

Harmful Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children [English].
The Fact Sheet #23 - Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

How the US Erase Women’s Rights in Iraq [English]. 2005.
Under the new U.S.-crafted constitution, which was put to referendum on the 15 October while the bloodbath mounts each day, women’s rights will be oppressed and the role of women in Iraqi society will be curtailed and relegated to the caring for “children and the elderly”.

Ijtihad and its Role in Reducing the CEDAW Reservations of the Arab Countries [Arabic]. 2005.

Iraqi Women and Violence [Arabic]. 2006.
This study is an international research work on violence against Iraqi women and on the oppression they are exposed to.

Iraqi Women Under US Occupation [English]. 2005.
In addition to torture, sexual violence and rape by U.S. Occupation forces, a great number of Iraqi women and girls are kept locked up in their homes by a very real fear of abduction and criminal abuse. Since the invasion of Iraq, Iraqi women have been denied their human rights, including the right to health, education and employment.

Islam and Women's Rights [Arabic]. 2005.

Islamic Family Law [English].
Introduction: Variations on State Identity and Community Rights by Chibli Mallat.

Islamic Family Law and the Transition to Palestinian Statehood: Constraints and Opportunities for Legal Reform [English]. 2002.
A draft version of a case study by Fadwa Labadi, Penny Johnson, Rema Hammami and Lynn Welchman provided by the Emory University- Islamic Family Law web site. The study investigates the legislative and lobbying initiatives related to Islamic law during five years of the Palestinian interim authority (1995-2000) in the West Bank and Gaza.

Islamic Reform and Women [Arabic]. 2007.
This study discusses the position or status of women under Islamic reform.

Kuwait: Citizens Attitude towards Women Political Participation [Arabic]. 2007.
This research sheds light on the attitudes of Kuwaiti citizens towards the political participation of women. It mainly aims at exploring the public's vision of women as political actors in the country and of women's participation during past elections, as well as the factors affecting voters' choice during the elections of the Majlis Al-Oumma. The study consisted of seven focus groups of voters aged between 24 and 40, from both sexes and belonging to both the sedentary and nomadic population in Kuwait. In-depth meetings were also held with eight Kuwaiti opinion leaders who are active in the field of the media, education, law, economy and politics.

Kuwait's Parliament Considers Women's Political Rights, Again [English]. 2004.
The article discusses the wavering of Kuwait’s parliament in drafting a law to allow women's full political rights- voting and running for national office- and chronicles Kuwaiti women's struggle and achievements for political rights over the past two decades.

Lebanese National Action Plan [English]. 1995.
Women Watch is a gateway to the information and resources on the promotion of gender equality. It is a joint United Nations project which was created in March 1997 to provide internet space for global gender equality issues and to support implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. The Lebanese National Action Plan was provided by the government following the Beijing Conference.

Legislations and Laws Concerning the Work of Yemeni Women [Arabic]. 2006.
This specialized analytical study provides a detailed explanation of legislation and laws concerning the work of Yemeni women.

Limitation of Personal Freedom [Arabic]. 2005.

Multiculturalism, Universalism and the Claims of Democracy [English]. 2001.
This paper explores the tensions between universalism and cultural relativism, and the role of democracy in resolving these tensions. It argues that cultural relativism is not a useful ally for feminism. The paper then argues for a "good enough democracy", and concludes with a number of guiding principles that can help identify which practices are most indefensible or most at odds with sexual equality concerns.

Palestinian Women Between Reality and Aspiration [Arabic]. 2007.
This study discusses the condition of Palestinian women in 3 main domains: the first domain follows up the development of Palestinian women in modern history; the second domain discusses Palestinian women and development issues; the third domain deals with political participation of Palestinian women. The study draws several conclusions about these issues.

Participation of Sudanese Women in Political life [Arabic]. 2002.
A working paper presented by Dr. Amenah Asadek Badri at the regional workshop on "Gender and democratic transformation in the Arab World", March 11-13, 2002. Regional Center for Human Security, Amman, Jordan.

Picturing a Life Free of Violence: Media and Communication Strategies to End Violence against Women [English]. 2001.
This publication showcases a wealth and variety of media and communications strategies and materials used around the world to end violence against women. It highlights materials and campaigns, providing descriptions of innovative communication methods specific to domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment, harmful traditional practices, trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, and HIV/AIDS.

Political Capacity Building Manual [English]. 2005.
This Manual contain ten booklets : -Communication Skills with the public -Principles of Protocol and Etiquette -Successful Meeting -Building Electoral Coalitions -Principles of Delegating Authority -Capacity Building for Women -Skills to Attract Voters and Influence Them -Principles of Modern Management Transformation to Successful Leadership -Women and Citizenship -Dealing with Conflicts and Problem Solving.

Political Participation of Palestinian Women [Arabic]. 2006.
This study discusses the meaning of political participation, especially in the case of Palestinian women.

Politics of Integrating Gender to State Development Processes [English]. 1995.
The Politics of Integrating Gender To State Development Processes: Trends, Opportunities and Constraints in Bangladesh, Chile, Jamaica, Mali, Morocco and Uganda, by Anne Marie Goetz. Occasional Paper No. 2, UN Fourth World Conference On Women, May 1995. This paper provides an assessment of efforts in six countries to improve public accountability to women in the development process

Problem of the Women Taking Charge of Leading Positions (Iraq case study) [Arabic]. 2002.
By Dr. Ina'am A. Al-Shehabi and Dr. Mowaffaq H. Mohammad, Arab Organization for Administrative Development – First Meeting. "Marketing in the Arab Region: Reality and Prospects for Development". Sharjah, UAE, 15-16 October, 2002.

Quality of Women's Banking Service in Saudi Arabia [Arabic]. 2002.
By Dr. Wafa Nasser Al-Mbaireek, Arab Organization for Administrative Development – First Meeting. "Marketing in the Arab Region: Reality and Prospects for Development". Sharjah, UAE, 15-16 October, 2002.

Resource Guide for Gender Theme Groups [English]. 2005.
This guide contains information based on feedback from theme groups in more than 30 countries. It synthesizes the opportunities and challenges that exist to promote gender equality and women’s human rights in the context of UN reform and greater coordination among wide-ranging development actors.

Rights of Muslim Women in Morocco [English][French].
An overview of the laws governing women's rights in Morocco by Fadéla Sebti. Source: guide provides access to the law governing women's human rights in Morocco.

Rise of the Arab Women Towards Expansion of Freedom Values [Arabic]. 2005.

Role of Women in Saudi Arabian Society [English].
Review of the Saudi Arabian women status and achievements

Strengthening the Role of Women Parliamentarians in the Arab Region: Challenges and Options [English]. 1999.
Paper presented by Azza M. Karam. March, 1999 at the Meeting on Women and Political Participation: 21st Century Challenges, held in New Delhi, India, 24-26 March 1999.

Study on the Representation of Women in Group Elections [Arabic]. 2009.

Sudan - Human Development and Millennium Development Goal [English]. 2003.
The focus of the paper is basically to answer how far gender sensitive policies are operationalized in Sudan. The objective of the paper therefore, is to come up with policies frameworks to enhance women’s empowerment and gender quality at the national level.

Taking Gender Equality Seriously: Making Progress, Meeting New Challenges [English]. 2006.
The United Nations Development Programme, along with many other UN organizations, bilateral development agencies, and non-governmental organizations, has adopted a gender mainstreaming strategy as a way of ensuring that women as well as men benefit from programme and policy support. This booklet provides examples that show that mainstreaming achieves results when resources, capacity, commitment and management support all converge in a strategic area.

The Abuse of Islamic Interpretations to Weaken Women [Arabic]. 2005.

The Condition of Rural Women and Gender Issues [Arabic]. 2004.
This study discusses the condition of rural women, especially in terms of reproductive health, family planning and gender issues.

The Gender Dimensions of Poverty in Egypt [English]. 2001.
This study presents a picture of the extent of poverty at all levels of analysis and derives poverty measures for male and female-headed households and for males and females in poor households. It also investigates the characteristics of males and females in poor households in terms of their education, employment, child labor, and other characteristics.

The Impact of Conflict on Women: the Case of Somalia [English]. 2004.
The decade of conflict in Somalia has affected relations between women and men. Conflict has lowered what was already one of the world’s lowest literacy rates – for both men and women. Many women have fought for equal rights and peace in this situation of state collapse but war has made families more dependent on the domestic labor of girls, further diminishing their prospects of entering, let alone completing, primary education.

The Payoff from Women's Rights [English]. 2004.
The author argues that growth and living standards get a dramatic boost when women are given just more education, political clout, and economic opportunity and calls on the United States to be more assertive in promoting women's rights abroad.

The Politics of Integrating Gender to State Development Processes: Trends, Opportunities and Constraints in Bangladesh, Chile, Jamaica, Mali, Morocco and Uganda [English]. 1995.
This paper provides an assessment of efforts in six countries to improve public accountability to women in the development process. It then goes on to provide an overview of some of the more prominent political, economic and social trends of the past two decades, against which efforts have been made to institutionalize gender in state development processes.

Towards Gender Equality in the Arab/Middle East Region: Islam, Culture, and Feminist Activism [English]. 2004.
This is the background paper of the UNDP Human Development Report 2004. The paper examines the relations among gender, culture, and Islam, and draws attention to the tensions that exist between concepts of cultural heritage and concepts of cultural freedoms in the Arab region and elsewhere in the Middle East. The author argues that notwithstanding elements of a shared culture and shared religion, there is considerable variability in gender norms and laws in the Arab world/Middle East and there have been significant changes over time in the position of women, and describes debates and discussions within the region pertaining to women’s rights.

Tracking the Progress of Jordanian Women in the ICT space [English]. 2005.
This is a request for proposal research on the progress of Jordanian women in the information and communication technology space since 2001. The objective of the project is to empower women in the information technology section by building their capacities and professional skills and bridging the gender digital divide.

Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation and Other Exploitative Purposes [English]. 2005.
The present publication shares the preliminary findings of a study being conducted by the IRC, with the support of the Japan Committee for UNICEF on the protection of children from exploitation, with an emphasis on the practice of trafficking.

Turning the Tide: The Convention on Elimination of Discrimination against Women and Gender Dimensions of the HIV/AIDS Pandemic [English]. 2001.
This publication contributes to understanding how the world's foremost blueprint for women's human rights can be put to work to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic from a gender perspective. It discusses the inherent problems that exist and broadens the knowledge gap.

United Nations Secretary-General Study on Violence Against Women [English].
The in-depth study builds on work that has been undertaken so far on violence against women, synthesizes and evaluates findings, and identifies best practices and effective strategies, along with gaps and challenges. The study was conducted by the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women.

Urban Governance: Why Gender Matters? [English]. 1996.
The author, Jo Beall, argues that urban governance must be gender-sensitive if it is to be equitable, sustainable and effective. A gender-sensitive approach to urban governance has two principal objectives; firstly, to increase women's participation in human settlements development and, secondly, to foster gender-awareness and competence among both women and men in the political arena and planning practice.

Violations of Human Rights in Arab World [Arabic]. 2005.

Woman Management Skills [English]. 2005.
The Women Management Skills Manual is divided into six chapters: - Strategic Planning and Projects' Formulation - Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills - Lobbying - Leadership Skills - Negotiation Skills - Communication Skills

Women and Children – The Double Dividend of Gender Equality [English]. 2007.
This report intends to provide a road map to accelerate progress towards gender equality and empowering women through education, financing, legislation, legislative quotas, engaging men and boys, women empowering women and improved research and data.

Women and Development in Qatari Society [Arabic]. 2003.
This is an analytical study of the condition of Qatari women and human development opportunities open to Qatari women.

Women and Participation In the Islamic State [Arabic]. 2003.
This study discusses actual and indirect participation of women in political affairs under the Islamic state from the earliest era to the fall of the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad.

Women in Contemporary Democratization [English]. 2000.
This paper looks at the issue of democratization from a gender perspective. Women’s persistent exclusion from formal politics, in particular, raises a number of specific questions about how to reform democratic institutions, since these institutions are not automatically gender-equitable.

Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers [English][French]. 1998.
Written by parliamentarians and researchers, this IDEA publication examines the obstacles women face in getting into parliament, how to overcome such barriers and ways in which they can make a greater impact once they enter parliament. It examines topics such as quotas and electoral systems and includes case studies from Costa Rica, Egypt, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Norway, Russia and South Africa.

Women of the New Iraq [English]. 2005.
This article argues that women's rights in Iraq have not been destroyed by Islam, but by the destruction of state and society brought on by foreign military aggression. Most Iraqi women recognise and try to sensitively cope with the predicament of dealing with occupation and the rise of reactionary practices affecting their rights and way of life.

Women, Peace and Security [English]. 2002.
This study is an initiative undertaken in response to Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security adopted in October 2000. It shows that while many positive steps have been taken to implement the resolution, women still form a minority of those who participate in peace and security negotiations, and receive less attention than men in post-conflict agreements, disarmament and reconstruction.

Women’s Image In Stories Written by Emirates Females [Arabic]. 2006.
This study discusses how female writers present the image of women in their stories and novels from a feminist outlook.

Women’s Political Participation: Meeting on Women and Political Participation - 21st Century Challenges [English]. 1999.
By Azza M. Karam.

Women’s Rights and the Meaning of Citizenship in Kuwait [English]. 2005.
The article discusses the situation of Kuwaiti women's rights and the challenges they face with regards to advancing their political rights, involvement and participation. It tackles these issues from various perspectives- the government, the opposition, the feminists and the general Kuwaiti public.

Women’s Rights in Morocco [English]. 2001.
A bill known as the “National Action Plan for Integrating Women in Development” was introduced March 1999 in Morocco and it aimed at asserting some basic rights for women against discrimination and abuse. However, the opponents of the plan see these changes as a diversion from the Islamic moral values.

Women's Freedom in Arab World: Challenges and Prospects [Arabic]. 2005.

Women's Livelihood and Entitlements in the Middle East: What Difference has the Neoliberal Policy Turn Made? [English]. 2005.
This paper examines changes in patterns of women’s employment and social policies pertaining to women in the Middle East and North Africa, and compares between two periods: the oil-boom era of the 1960s-1980s, and the period of liberalization since the latter part of the 1980s and into the present decade.

Women's Movement and Political Discourse in Morocco [English]. 1998.
This paper, based on research undertaken in Morocco as part of the Technical Co-operation and Women’s Lives project, focuses on the role of the women’s movement in shifting the boundaries of political discourse on women’s issues.

Women's Movement in Egypt, with Selected References to Turkey [English]. 2002.
Women's movements in the Middle East vary in terms of specific historical trajectories as well as current ideas and practices. Yet, they are similar in that they share several historical and political factors, such as their links to nationalist movements, their links to processes of modernization and development, and tensions between secular and religious tendencies. Specificities and differences can be found in overarching general themes, as becomes obvious in the context of two case studies -Egypt and Turkey- explored in this paper.

Women's Rights and Democracy in the Arab World [English]. 2004.
The US government's new focus on promoting Women's Rights in the Middle East is widely supported, but its popularity has generated confusion about the actual conditions of women in the Middle East and the problems they face; about the relationship between women's rights and democracy; and about what an outside intervener like the United States can accomplish.

Women's Rights in Islam [Arabic]. 2005.

World's Women 2006: Progress in Statistics [English]. 2006.
This report is intended as a guide to help Governments and other stakeholders strengthen statistical systems, mainstream gender statistics, and further develop concepts and methods for collecting statistics on gender concerns.