STATEMENT: Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Statement on Egypt 2011-02-05

The uprising and social unrest in Tunisia and Egypt – and now possibly continuing in the region - are the result of decades of mistreatment and neglect of the populations in these countries. False security concepts, resulting in massive spending on the military, have been used in order to secure the wealth of the privileged classes and international interests, while the vast majority of the population inside the countries' own borders live in poverty, have no access to social security and education and die from curable diseases.

The West has been complicit in keeping illegitimate regimes in power so as to further their own perceived interests, and in contravention of their international legal obligations to uphold human rights. These policies have had appalling consequences and must stop. The uprisings have provided the West with an opportunity to change, to really engage in securing democracy human rights and equality in a new political environment.

The outcome of the Egyptian revolution and others is uncertain. WILPF joins with many, many others in hoping that the social movements against the old regimes prevail and that there is a clear vision for a future in the region which is based on respect for human rights, democratic rule and sustainable development. This must be driven and decided by the people themselves, and not based on external interest.

To give effect to this the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) fully support the declaration made at the Global Conference “Women and the 21 Century-Feminist Alternatives” in Cairo Egypt on 16th -18th December 2010 saying:

We demand immediate global measures, affirmative actions and policies to facilitate women's equal participation in all the places of decision-making in political and economic institutions, with minimum of 30% gender quotas. We are convinced that increased participation of women in the governing of the world is an important step towards the abolishment of patriarchal methods of dominance, continuous violence against women and civilian populations and will lead to a decrease of military interventions and wars as solutions to conflicts and conflict resolutions among States and Nations.

The participation of women is crucial. Women are playing a fundamental part in the revolution, and must be included in the reconstruction, in government and public office.

Only the people, women and men, who can solve the crises in their countries, but the international community has a responsibility to offer its support and to demand the protection of Human Rights the protection and freedom of journalists, and the cessation of all acts of violence by the State and by actors sponsored by the State. Those States with economic, political and military ties to Egypt have that influence and are obligated to use it to secure the rights of Egyptians to ensure he departure of Mubarak and his cohorts followed by a process to secure a truly representative and democratic government.