APN | Amman - Zoom, Penang, Malaysia

1 and 17 June 2024

APN Volunteer, Maha Mohsen, and APN Advocacy and Research Officer, Lisa Shahin, participated as speakers at two conferences organized by the International Women's Alliance to discuss the role of resisting women.

Mohsen represented APN at the third conference of the International Women's Alliance, which was held under the slogan "Women Resist Imperialist Wars, Militarism, and Economic Exploitation. Unite and Fight for Land, Labor Rights, and Liberation". The conference was attended by women's, labor, and human rights organizations supporting the Palestinian cause and its resistance and believing in the necessity of ending the occupation and liberating all of Palestine. This made APN’s participation an opportunity to highlight the practices of the Zionist entity as a settler colonial entity and to link them with colonial practices in the Global South.

In addition to this, APN was invited to speak at a study conference titled “The State of Women in Asia-Pacific (SWAP)”, hosted by the International Alliance of Women in Asia-Pacific (IWA-ASPAC). The session delved into how the vulnerabilities of women in the Global South are further exacerbated during times of war and armed conflict.

During her presentation, APN Advocacy and Research Officer, Lisa Shahin, highlighted the devastating impact of settler-colonialism and occupation on women in Palestine, especially amidst the ongoing genocide in Gaza. These impacts include displacement, poverty, starvation, and severe restrictions on healthcare.

Shahin went on to highlight the pivotal role of Palestinian women in defending their people's rights, from historical resistance against colonialism to current struggles in Gaza.

As for recommendations, Shahin urged the international community to expose and address human rights violations in Palestine, to condemn international double standards, and apply diplomatic pressure on governments and organizations to hold Israel accountable by implementing sanctions, embargoes, or other punitive measures. The speech concluded by stressing support for local initiatives like APN's "Revive Gaza's Farmland" project as a means to bolster Palestinian resilience, including Palestinian women.