Turkish first lady underlines women's key role in achieving sustainable peace

By Mumin Altas

ANTALYA, Türkiye (AA) – Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan Saturday stressed the importance of women's role in achieving lasting and sustainable peace worldwide.

Addressing the spouses of leaders and participants at the Women, Peace, and Security Session of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Erdogan said: “We must not forget that lasting and sustainable peace arises from a process where no one is left behind.”

“The success of a peace process cannot be expected as long as women, who are a fundamental and transformative part of society, are not included," she noted.

"We will never bow to those who try to reduce the hard-won international law and justice system, achieved at great cost, to a mere written statement," Erdogan stressed.

She underlined that world nations are currently facing crises of such magnitude that no single country can tackle them alone.

“The foundations of the values and institutions that hold us together as humanity have never been deeply shaken in recent history," Erdogan said.

"We are holding this meeting not in a peaceful environment, but sadly, under the dark shadow of war," Erdogan added, referring to the ongoing war in Gaza.

"In an era where polarization and racism are on the rise, intolerance and greed fuel hatred, maintaining peace and order is becoming increasingly difficult," she added.

Israel has launched a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, which Tel Aviv said killed less than 1,200 people.

At least 30,320 Palestinians have since been killed and 71,533 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz