100 Sisters on Security: Global Impact of Conflict in Lebanon

On October 7, 2023, everyone woke up to a drastically different world. Although no stranger to conflict, the Middle East was stunned by the escalation in hostilities that had happened overnight. Those of us from a distance reached out frantically to loved ones to ensure they were safe, while those in the area watched in fear and horror as the world crumbled around them. The death toll continued to climb and the living conditions dropped to inhumane levels. Electricity, clean water, food, and medical care were now inaccessible to many, to the point where the "unprecedented escalation" led the UN to call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire (UN News, 2023).

Sitting on the northern border of Israel, Lebanon is expecting spillover to be inevitable. On this edition of 100 Sisters on Security, our guest is peacebuilder Shirine Jurdi, Regional Liaison Officer and Gender Focal Point, MENA Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (MENAPPAC)-GPPAC. Currently living in Lebanon, her life's work and focus have been on gender, peace and climate. Having worked with the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) in Lebanon, she strongly advocates gender equity in discussions of peace and disarmament.

"What is democracy? You can see all these people throughout the world, protesting, saying to their governments, 'Please stop the war!' This is democracy; you need to listen to your people," says Ms. Jurdi, "Ceasefire means the weapons that are killing people, that are killing women and children, and elderly and disabled people. You put a veto to ceasefire? This is unimaginable. How can you veto a ceasefire?"

Ms. Jurdi travels around the globe, focusing on North Africa and the Middle East, in order to promote the importance of peace and speak to both the intended and unintended consequences of armed conflict. Her work ties in not only the violence of war, but how armaments affect climate change, as well as gender justice. Having spent her entire life in a world that has been riddled with political and economic crises, she has made it her goal to empower women and amplify their voices as they explain the challenges they face in a way that those on the outside cannot fully appreciate.

"It's very important for us to see these women in their own areas. One of the participants was telling me, 'Why do organizations always talk about rural women when they don't come to our rural areas?'" she explains, "It's very important to go to these women, to live their lives, and to see that also their experiences and their lives tend to have different objectives, challenges, opportunities than what we know."

Ms. Jurdi's message seems simple enough: instead of sending arms, instead of spending money on conflict, instead of laying blame, cease all hostilities and begin discussions on peace. Instead of praising the resilience of the people, create an environment where resilience is not necessary. The media has played as much of a role as political leadership, but no one has truly listened to those who are enduring the far-reaching impacts of these struggles on daily life. Offering a narrative with personal anecdotes and testimonials from the grassroots, Ms. Jurdi shares her more holistic perspective on the consequences of war.

"This is creating so much division, even in the world, in terms of the way people are feeling, and this is not good for humanity in general. And it needs to stop. But the problem is how?" she adds, "We need to restore peace and security. We need to restore the basic right to life."