Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Shahindokht Molaverdi and the Director of the Syrian Commission for Family and Population Affairs, Hadeel Al-Asmar, in a recent meeting discussed avenues of cooperation.
Al-Asmar was in Tehran to attend a conference on ‘Unity of Iranian, Syrian Women’, the Vice Presidency’s online portal reported.
While taking stock of commonalities between the two sides, Molaverdi stressed the occasion should be used to lay the groundwork for sharing and exchanging ideas to improve and alleviate the situation of women and children in both countries.
“We hope peace will return to Syria where women and children are the first victims of violence,” she said.
The ongoing conflict in Syria began in 2011 “as unrest.” It gradually morphed from mass protests to armed rebellion after months of military sieges. Today it has taken on multi-faceted dimensions with international interventions. An estimated 260,000 people have been killed in the conflict that has displaced 11 million people.
Molaverdi also noted that her office seeks to augment the role of women in the Majlis (parliament) and national decision-making processes.
Al-Asmar expressed eagerness to expand cooperation with the Iranian side in areas concerning women and children.
The Syrian Commission for Family and Population Affairs is the country’s highest executive body in women and family affairs and operates directly under the Syrian president.
The conference, held on Wednesday at Tehran’s Art Forum, created a platform to exchange experiences in areas concerning women and family affairs between the two nations, and provide the grounds for international cooperation in various areas, in particular bolstering the role of women in social and economic areas.
A symbolic award of resistance on behalf of Iranian women was presented to Syrian women.
