Thank you so much.
Chair and honourable members, thank you for this invitation.
I speak to you today as the chair of the board of Nazra for Feminist Studies and as part of a growing global ecosystem of movements, including Demos Kratos. This network connects grassroots actors, thinkers and institutions working to reimagine democracy from the ground up.
From this dual position, local and global, I want to focus on one central message: Democracy cannot be strengthened without investing in the lived realities, narratives and leadership of women and human rights defenders, especially in regions such as the Middle East and North Africa.
Too often, women and human rights defenders are engaged only at the moment of crisis, when they are imprisoned, attacked or exiled, but democracy is not built in moments of crises alone. It's built through narratives, daily resilience and lived experiences.
Women human rights defenders and minority leaders in the MENA region are mediating local conflicts, supporting displaced communities, leading economic survival initiatives and creating informal peace structures where formal ones usually fail, yet their voices remain under-represented in global policy and decision-making spaces.
Supporting them is not only about protection; it's about enabling them to shape the global understanding of democracy itself. Global networks such as Demos Kratos play a critical role in this. These networks provide protection through visibility and collective advocacy; constructive solidarity that is not symbolic but strategic and sustained; platforms that connect local realities to global policy-making; and spaces for peacebuilding, including tracks for engagement that are often overlooked. In regions affected by war and fragmentation, such networks are not optional. They are infrastructure for survival and transformation.
In the MENA region, where conflict and instability are widespread, investing in women and minorities is not a social policy choice; it's a security strategy.
From my experience, including founding one of the first feminist funds in the region, I have seen that when women and marginalized groups are resourced, they invest in civic engagement and accountability, local peacebuilding and mediation, economic resilience through entrepreneurship and social innovation, and community-based safety and protection systems.
This is what I call holistic empowerment—economic empowerment, political participation, social protection, and security and safety policies. Importantly, it requires engagement from governments, private sector actors and civil society. Peace is not negotiated only at high-level tables; it's built in communities.
Formal peace processes often exclude those most affected. Global and regional networks sustain tracks for peace efforts, create safe spaces for dialogue across divides, and ensure that women's voices and minority voices are not erased. If we don't invest in these networks, we risk building peace processes that are detached, fragile and unsustainable.
In terms of Canada's role from commitment to leadership, Canada has a strong legacy in supporting human rights and feminist approaches. I particularly welcome the appointment of a new women, peace and security ambassador. This is an important step, but this is also a moment to move further.
Canada can play a transformative role.
First, invest in global networks. Support networks such as Demos Kratos that connect local actors to global systems, enabling protection, advocacy and influence.
Second, support flexible, movement-led funding. Ensure funding reaches grassroots and feminist organizations directly, especially those led by women and minorities.
Third, elevate narratives. Use diplomatic platforms to amplify the lived realities of women and human rights defenders, not just statistics but also voices.
Fourth, bridge local to global decision-making. Facilitate pathways for defenders to engage in international negotiations, policy spaces and peace processes.
Resources are not only financial. They also include access, legitimacy and visibility.
In regions like the Middle East and North Africa, where war and instability are shaping everyday life, peace will not come only from agreements between states. It will come from people, communities and networks that continue to hold societies together.
If we want to have a sustainable democracy, we must invest in those who are already practising it under the most difficult conditions.
Thank you. I look forward to your questions.