The #Diplowomen Podcast

In episode 20 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud Anware Mnasri,

Judge in the administrative court and co-founder of Thala Solidaire and the League of Women Voters

00:00 Introduction

01:50 Women’s Impact on Tunisia’s New Constitution

04:04 No Going Back: Tunisia’s Modified Personal Status Code

09:57 Gender Quota and Achieving Transitional Justice

15:46 Civil Societies’ Role in Training Women Ministers

18:01 Combating Violence Against Women in Politics

28:45 The Tunisian Revolution: A Window of Opportunities for Women

NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations.

UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Music by Marc Codsi.

In episode 19 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with HH Sheikha Intisar AlSabah,

Social Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Author and Film Producer and the Founder and Chairwoman of Intisar Foundation focusing on the mental health of women in the Arab World.

00:00 Introduction

02:00 Work, passion and vision

08:58 Drama therapy and its valuable tools

13:42 A personal experience of Kuwait’s Invasion

17:22 Psychological health and its impact on peace-building efforts in the Arab World

21:35 A 30-year vision: supporting one million Arab Women

27:30 Men and mental health

29:00 Entering the World of Drama Therapy: Where to begin?

NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations.

UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Music by Marc Codsi.

In episode 18 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Lina Abi Rafeh,

Gender rights activist, author, and Senior Advisor for Global Women’s Rights at the Arab Institute for Women at the Lebanese American University

00:00 Introduction

01:48 Inspiration and Motives for Years of Human Rights Activism

03:56 Pinpointing Entry Points: How to Make a Difference?

09:20 50 Years of Arab Feminism, a book by Lina Abi Rafeh

14:48 Main Challenges of Mainstreaming the WPS Agenda

21:24 Ties to the Region: A Bizarre Dance of Love and Hate

26:31 A Guide for the Youth to Take Charge

NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations.

UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Music by Marc Codsi.

In episode 16 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Nouzha Chekrouni,

Former Ambassador of Morocco to Canada (check please)

00:00 Introduction

01:09 Choosing the political field

02:40 Keep on going forward

05:56 Setting priorities

09:50 The importance of Gender quotas

10:58 Moroccan women in the face of today’s challenges

13:17 Building political allies

17:02 Responding to false and inaccurate information

21:01 Facing discrimination at work

NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations.

UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Music by Marc Codsi.

In episode 15 of the #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Sanaa Al-Banawi, Knowledge Management Specialist on WPS Agenda.

0:00 Introduction

1:30 Current Work and Main Concerns of the Jordanian National Commission

3:00 Deciding on the Nation's Priorities

05:52 Personal Motives and the Means to Engage in this Field

08:55 A Success Story

11:47 Shaping Students’ Mindsets

14:17 Overcoming Personal Hardships at Work

17:44 Creating Opportunities for the Youth

19:29 The Quota Experience in Jordan

20:57 Inspiring Arab Youth to Continue Along this Path

NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations.

UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Music by Marc Codsi.0

In episode 14 of the #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Aleksandra Dier and Azadeh Moaveni about the report: “Women’s participation in local mediation: Lessons from Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen”

Read the report here: https://bit.ly/3PcSBuv

Aleksandra Dier is the Regional Advisor on WPS in the MENA for UN Women and Azadeh Moaveni who directs the Gender and Conflict Project at Crisis group.

0:00 Introduction

1:33 Women’s Participation in Local Mediation

4:28 Major Findings

5:50 The Concept of “Insider Mediation”

11:17 A Perspective on the conflicts in the MENA region

18:22 The Digitalization of Peacebuilding

24:25 Obstacles Facing Women Mediators

28:41 The Question of Responsibility

34:39 Revisiting the Digitalization of Peacebuilding

NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not

necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International

Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its

affiliated organizations.

UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry

for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft

für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Music by Marc Codsi.0

In episode 13 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Faten Chalhoub,

Mediator at the Professional Centre for Mediation - USJ, Beirut.

0:00 Introduction

1:37 Concept of local mediation

3:16 The connection between local mediation and regional/national issues

4:31 Main risks facing women mediators

9:54 Developing mediation skills

14:22 A personal experience

18:00 Building a nation

20:26 Finding a common ground

NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations.

UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Music by Marc Codsi.

In episode 12 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Rouba Mhaissen,

Economist, activist, community mobilizer, and Founder and Director of Sawa for Development and Aid

00:00 Introduction

00:45 The role of a community mobilizer

01:56 From an economist to a peacebuilder

03:08 Challenges regarding Lebanese sentiments

05:00 Conception of Sawa and its rise into the international plain

09:30 A personal experience

12:07 Barriers to evolving

15: 28 The future of Syrian women

17:15 Hope and motivation

18:31 The global situation today

NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations.

UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Music by Marc Codsi.

In episode 11 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Batoul Mufreh,

Project coordinator at the Palestinian Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies - Masarat

00:00 Introduction

01:02 Batoul’s battles and challenges she faced

04:25 Obstacles while building peace and bridges in Palestine

09:53 International community’s role in Palestine regarding the WPS agenda

14:07 Steps needed to protect women in the field

17:30 Effectiveness of the National Action Plan for 1325 in Palestine

19:41 Testimony

24:20 Message for the Arab Youth

NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations.

UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Music by Marc Codsi.

In episode 10 of The #Diplowomen Podcast, Karma Ekmekji thinks out loud with Muneera Al Khalifa, Executive Director of Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies.

00:00 Introduction

01:58 How Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies saw light

06:20 Equal Opportunities Committee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bahrain

12:00 Applying a gender lens to the codes guiding our day-to-day activities

14:49 The importance of political will for matters of inclusion

18:10 Motherhood, diplomacy, and compromise

21:44 Challenges and lessons learnt in navigating leadership

27:11 Vision for the Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies

33:34 Message to the Arab youth on achieving more parity in the field of diplomacy

NB: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the American University of Beirut, or UN Women, the United Nations, or any of its affiliated organizations.

UN Women is grateful for financial support for this activity from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Music by Marc Codsi.