The Chair of the EUTCC, Karianne Westrheim, has written a short message of good will to the organisers and participants of the 2nd National Kurdish Women’s Conference, which is currently underway in Hawler. You can read the message below:
Greetings to the 2 National Kurdish Women Conference
Hewler 22-24 May, 2012
Dear organisers and delegates,
The EUTCC sends its best wishes to the 2 National Kurdish Women’s Conference for a successful meeting. As democracy is the aim of any free dialogue, one important move for this conference should be to create a platform for national dialogue, based on democratic principles.
Kurdistan is divided for the time being but nothing can ever stop Kurdish women in all parts to join forces – and to unite across borders. This might cause a reinvention of Kurdish politics and traditions and supersede present imaginary borders.
Kurdish women are makers of history; a process rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. Even though Kurdish women today are actively engaged in political parties, gender-based issues are often set aside in benefit of other political issues.
Kurdish women have a long and proud history of collective action and resistance which still continues. This struggle is carried out in their homes, in villages and communities, in the streets, in the mountains, in prisons and in formal politics. Their experience is that every word spoken, every move or every step taken with the intention to improve the situation for women is a struggle in itself.
With these words I wish you the best of luck for a constructive and fruitful conference.
Respectfully yours,
Kariane Westrheim
Chair of EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC)
Peace in Kurdistan 