In recognition of the vital role played by community-based organizations led by women and youth in the south of Jordan, and to ensure wider participation of women’s and youth organizations in community activities in support of the implementation of the agenda of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Security, and Peace, the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD), within the framework of the project to enhance women’s participation in the activation of Security Council resolution 1325 (Amani), and in partnership with UN Women Jordan, held a roundtable discussion entitled:  “The Role of Local Organizations in Promoting Community Cohesion in the South of Jordan”, Wednesday, December 13, 2023.

Eleonora Banfi, Director of Al-Nahda Thought Center for Women’s Studies at ARDD, reviewed the preliminary results of the study conducted by the Institute to look into the role of organizations led by youth and women in the south of Jordan to promote community cohesion, in line with the principles of the Women, Security, and Peace Agenda and the Jordanian National Plan to activate Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Security, and Peace (JONAP).

On the results of the study, Banfi said: “Through the study, we identified the multifaceted roles and activities of civil society organizations led by women and youth in the south, and how to make them more effective in promoting community cohesion, in addition to evaluating their strategies, and understanding the way these organizations develop their initiatives and programs in line with the objectives of the national plan to activate Resolution 1325.”

She then went on to add: “The study is useful in developing specialized capacity-building programs for these organizations, which would enhance their positive impact on the communities in which they operate, as well as identifying the challenges facing these organizations, represented by lack of resources, security conditions, in addition to societal obstacles.”

Banfi also noted that “the approach adopted by the study was based on interviews with stakeholders, which helped to highlight the diverse and vital initiatives of these organizations in achieving community cohesion, to which the United Nations is committed in order to enhance women’s participation in public life and activate their role in combating violence and extremism, in times of peace and crises alike.”

Dr. Sana Jelassi, Advisor for Women and Youth Programs at ARDD, commented on the role of international organizations, donors, and government agencies in empowering civil society organizations in the south, calling for more steps to be taken to stand by these organizations, as well as providing them with support and increasing their active participation in local communities. Furthermore, she stressed that “there are great challenges that can be turned into opportunities by adhering to customs and traditions and ensuring collective action to benefit society.”

Zainab Al-Khalil, Director of Programs at ARDD, said: “We are working to promote the localization of humanitarian action and build the capacities of organizations led by women and youth, and we will continue to work on conducting more field research with organizations in the south to assess the reality of their work and needs, and to introduce the principle of community cohesion, which is a joint effort that we all must undertake.”

UN Women, Peace, and Security Unit Project Officer at UN Women/Jordan Office, Anoud Majali, stressed UN Women’s faith in the effective role played by civil society organizations to achieve the goals and outcomes of the Jordanian National Plan to activate Security Council Resolution 1325, praising the “strategic partnership” with ARDD, with the support of the Joint Support Fund for the national plan, which resulted in this roundtable to share the preliminary results of the research and obtain feedback from the participants, in order to enrich the content and come up with final recommendations.

The representative of the National Committee for Women’s Affairs, Ghada Masaada, praised the strong and effective partnership between the Committee and ARDD, saying: “We constantly coordinate with women, and we are keen to activate successful partnerships with them to reach a safer and more stable society… As a woman living in the South who’s interested in the results and activities implemented, our voice makes all the difference.”

In a speech by the CEO of ARDD, Samar Muhareb, she stressed the need to think about a new and effective approach that ensures the implementation of the second phase of the national plan to activate Resolution 1325, in addition to strengthening effective networking between local and governmental organizations and institutions, to ensure continuity and mobilize public opinion to obtain the support of everyone, calling for the need to find specialized institutions to discuss issues of concern to local communities.

On the importance of collective action between local organizations and their role in achieving community cohesion, Director of the East-West Center for Resource Development, Mahmoud Hishmeh, saw that community cohesion means ensuring teamwork, involving young people, building trust, and networking between all active organizations in a way that ensures achieving the desired results, in addition to involving more organizations in the south and providing them with full support.

Zeina Al-Dughaimat, from the Modern Jordan Valley Association, highlighted the challenges faced by organizations in the south, stressing the importance of unifying the concepts of resolution 1325 in the local context on the ground. She also pointed out that “discriminatory social norms, in addition to violence against women, are among the reasons that hinder women’s representation and active participation in decision-making, which must be heeded and addressed by parliamentary representatives.”

As a result, a summary will be prepared to collect, follow up on, and build on the recommendations of this session. According to the participants, it is necessary to activate the localization of the Women, Security, and Peace agenda, and to involve women in activating the national plan to activate Resolution 1325, in addition to the pivotal role played by international and local organizations, as well as governmental institutions and other relevant authorities in supporting organizations led by women and youth in the south, to sustain their role in development and societal peace.