No revolutions without equality and justice: the struggle for women’s rights in rethinking development in the Arab region

This article considers policy practice in the Arab region, highlighting some key areas for consideration in future policy making in the region. The peoples’ revolutions and uprisings in countries such as Egypt, Tunisia and Libya have, the author argues, brought to the surface the need to better understand the relationships between people’s right to development and political governance, social and economic policies. In previous decades, national development was neglected as those in power sought to gain international support by adopting orthodox economic policies. This resulted, the article argues, in growth that did not promote people’s economic and social rights. Nor did it help to achieve women’s rights or to meet goals on equality. Now, the challenge in Arab countries is to rebuild a national development strategy. This must include a focus on women’s civic, political, economic, social and cultural rights, and this focus must be an integral part of the development of policies, not a separate or piecemeal project. The author argues that women’s rights groups in the region must work together with other civil society actors to ensure that the reforms being implemented by states fully include the principles of human rights, non discrimination, justice and equality. This is especially important in a region where “multiple forms of violence and discrimination against women intensify the challenges facing the debate around alternative development paradigms” and women’s rights struggles are already facing a strong backlash.

The article goes on to call for a closer look at the growth policies that benefit women, and those that go further – actually helping to tackle gender inequality. The sub sections that follow consider policies on production, investment and trade, and financial institutions. The article concludes by observing that post-revolution, governments, policy makers and civil society organisations increasingly refer to citizens’ rights and use pro-poor rhetoric in their agendas. But it is essential for people to question whether this rhetoric is put into practice within economic and development strategies and policies, and whether women’s rights and social justice is prioritised.