No Turning Back!

Written by guest contributor Joe David

The grand entrance hall of the United States Institute of Peace overflowed last week with hundreds of prominent men and women from government, academia, and business. They came to hear and honor the Arab woman. The day-long event, which began with panel discussions and ended with a gala dinner, marked the League of Arab States’ Fifth Annual Arab-American Day Celebration, held this year in collaboration with the USIP.

The day-long events focused on the important role played by Arab women in stabilizing their communities. “Arab women have shown a steadfast commitment, especially during times of war and change, of never wavering in their struggle to bringing peace and stability to their communities,” Ambassador Salah Sarhan, the Chief of Washington Mission of the League of Arab States, said. “The Arab League considers the issue of violence against women and girls in the Arab world to be one of its most important challenges it faces.” In this context, Ambassador Sarhan emphasized that the League is addressing this challenge by using its position of strength to reach out to women and to help them achieve societal justice, gender equality, and prosperity through education. To show its commitment to ending violence against Arab women and girls, it held “16 Days of Activism,” a special dedication to them, which began on November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ended on December 10, 2016, the designated Human Rights Day.