Focus Areas

• Women’s Leadership

  While many countries (such as, Iraq, Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait) have appointed female cabinet ministers or elected female members of parliament as early as the 1980s, no country in MENA has ever appointed or elected a female head of state. Only one country, Tunisia, appointed a female Prime Minister (2021-23). There is, however, hope for positive change and progress especially as women in MENA lead in the social sector and exercise leadership art the civil society level. MEWI engages with current and former leaders in the public, private and social sectors to assess the state of women’s representation, understand the barriers to women’s full political participation, and highlight successful case studies of leadership.  

• Women’s Economic Participation 

  Women constitute half of the population of the Middle East and are making significant strides in education as well as higher education, however, research shows the region continues to face challenges in closing the gender gap in the workforce. The Gender Gap Index (2018) ranked the MENA region women's labor force participation in the MENA region is one of the lowest globally at 19%. Within the region, however, there is a wide spectrum, with countries like Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Israel well over the average at or around 50 percent, while countries like Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Palestine significantly below the mean. MEWI seeks to identify why gender gaps in economic participation persist, what has been accomplished thus far that can inform efforts to close this gender gap and compare public policies and good practices that support women’s full economic engagement. 

• Gender-Based Violence 

  According to UN Women, one in three women in the Middle East have experienced a form of gender-based violence (GBV). Akin to other regions of the world, economic and sociocultural factors prevent women and girls from reporting this violence. In MENA, weak legal protections further exacerbate this issue. As part of a cross-center initiative, MEWI will develop programming to convene policymakers, NGOs, and global leaders to identify solutions to the underlying causes of GBV. 

   

• Women, Peace, and Security 

  The year 2025 marks the 25-year anniversary of UNSCR 1325, the landmark resolution on Women, Peace, and Security. With ongoing conflicts in Israel/Palestine, Yemen, and Sudan, as well as post-conflict situations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Syria, MEWI will continue its work on the adverse effects of conflict on women and girls, as well as women’s crucial roles in high-level negotiations and on-the-ground peacebuilding ensuring a sustainable peace for all.