For its third annual Women in Political Parties training, LI and Dutch political party, D66 welcomed 14 aspiring women leaders to Empow(H)er: Women in Peace, Security, and Defense in Istanbul on December 1-4.  

The two-day-training convened aspiring women leaders with different backgrounds from the MENA region for sessions on women in defence, peacebuilding, and security.  

Participants discussed feminist policymaking, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, and peacebuilding in the MENA region in different session formats. The weekend also featured workshops on building a career in politics and on improving public speaking. 

LI Human Rights Committee gives special thanks to trainers Melissa Amirkhizy (Head of Finance, European Liberal Forum), Salima Belhaj (Defense Spokesperson, D66), Salpi Özgür (Founder and Director, Freedom and Citizenship Association), Yasameen Al-Nadheri (Political Advisor, Embassy of the Netherlands in Yemen), and Zeynep Alemdar (Director, Gender Studies Research Center) and all the participants who joined us.