Dear friends,
Women and the spirit of the 19 July Revolution
Across Rojava, a wide range of events have taken place to mark the anniversary of the 19 July Revolution. Both women speakers and the local media highlighted the central role played by women in social and political change. The fact that the revolution has strengthened women’s participation in decision-making processes and expanded their role in public life are important achievements that must continue to be protected. Accordingly, many events also served as a platform to speak out in support of preserving the YPJ.
Concerts were held in several cities to mark the anniversary, at which woman artists from Northern Kurdistan also performed, thereby expressing their solidarity with the revolution in Rojava. They also emphasised that, despite ongoing challenges, art and culture are indispensable for preserving the region’s identity, documenting its history and strengthening social cohesion.
Integration of the Women’s Authority
The Women’s Authority (Desteya Jin) was an integral part of the Autonomous Democratic Self-Administration in North and East Syria – with structures in all cantons. In addition to its role in promoting women in the region, it ran a wide range of projects for women and children and was also responsible for the few existing women’s shelters in the region. The Women’s Authority was also responsible for the autonomous organisation and personnel policy regarding women within the administrative structures, as well as for defending and monitoring the implementation of structural achievements such as the co-chair-system and the 50 per cent quota. Following the attacks by the transitional government at the start of the year and the forced abandonment of the main administration in Raqqa, the Women’s Authority remained active only in Rojava.
As part of the implementation of the 29 January agreement on the merger of the institutions of the Autonomous Administration and the transitional government, a series of meetings took place in the last weeks between the Women’s Authority of the Cizire region and the Authority for Family and Population of the Ministry of Social Affairs.
It was recently announced that the Cizire Women’s Authority has been integrated into the structure of the Authority for Family and Population. Under the agreement, the offices and centres of the Cizire Women’s Committee will continue their work.
One of the first activities was the participation of staff from the Women’s Authority in a discussion forum in Damascus on the demographic situation, which was also attended by representatives of the UN and other civil society organisations from Syria.
Economic challenges persist
Rising prices and inflation across Syria remain at the centre of economic discussions. At the same time, there are ongoing problems with diesel supplies. Generators that provide the population with electricity are being delivered late or not at all. This repeatedly leads to power cuts and a lack of water supply. Consequently, protests continue to take place in many regions, increasingly focusing on economic and living conditions.
Preparations for the return of displaced families and restoring Elok water station
Several institutions in North and East Syria are continuing the preparations to facilitate the return of displaced families to their villages in the area surrounding Serêkaniyê. This involves detecting and defusing landmines, as well as rebuilding basic infrastructure and restoring vital utility services to ensure a safe and dignified return. This also includes repair work on the supply lines from the Elok water station, which is essential for restoring the water supply to the town of Heseke, which has been cut off for the past six years.
With this brief review of the past week, we send you our revolutionary greetings from Rojava
