Ghadeer Houmani, President of the Social Work Spirit Association, spoke to UN Women from her office in Nabatieh, where the remnants of shattered glass and broken doors still testify to the horrors experienced in the area. The mother of two with a PhD in Life Leadership is a specialized trainer for numerous social institutions. During the conflict, Ghadeer and her family were displaced to the Jiyeh area. Once the shelling stopped, she was among the first to return, resuming work at her association while following up on what she started in the displacement centres in Jiyeh.

In Lebanon, women have played key roles during conflicts, crises, and demonstrations, contributing significantly across various fields. Yet, they still face major obstacles that prevent them from fully participating in decision-making and holding leadership positions. Guided by our firm belief that women are essential partners in promoting peace and establishing a state built on justice, equality, and equal opportunities and drawing on Lebanon’s international commitments, we issue this statement addressed to His Excellency the President of the Lebanese Republic, General Joseph Aoun, acknowledging his dedication to enhancing women’s roles in building resilient national institutions.

Dedicated to helping vulnerable communities, Rasha Abou Kharoub is a social worker with INITIATE, a UN Women partner organization on a project providing emergency livelihoods and protection for women in South Lebanon. She shares her own struggle with displacement amid the recent escalation of the conflict which intensified end of September 2024 and how she has remained strong and committed to her family, community and work.

Amid the challenges and conflicts that Lebanon has witnessed, stories of women who have made a difference through their initiatives during the recent crisis have emerged. Among them is Rita Barotta, a Professor and a humanitarian activist. Her experience reflects her ongoing struggle to support marginalized women in their communities and encourage them to demand their rights in a society suffering from chaos, crisis and conflict.

During the recent conflict, countless women have stepped forward as pillars of strength and hope, navigating the challenges with leadership and compassion. From providing food and shelter to displaced families to mediating conflicts within affected communities, these women have taken on critical support roles. Among them is Daad Azzi, who founded the Al-Shouf for Development Association with a group of youth volunteers following the devastating Beirut Port explosion in 2020.

The Government of the Republic of Korea, through its Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF), has partnered with UN Women to address the urgent needs of women displaced and returning to South Lebanon following the year-long hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. This 1-year initiative aims to provide comprehensive livelihood and protection services to support women and their families in rebuilding their lives.

The Women Peace Building Network in Lebanon calls for adopting a comprehensive approach to recovery and reconstruction in Lebanon, based on the values of justice, inclusion, and sustainability.

Driven by the intensifying conflict, the recent escalating humanitarian crisis in Lebanon has taken a profound toll on people’s lives. On the frontlines of the crisis response, women-led organizations (WLOs) are delivering critical, life-saving humanitarian assistance to affected populations, including women and girls in need.

Today, December 3, as we mark the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, the United Nations in Lebanon celebrates the extraordinary stories of resilience, leadership, and empowerment in times of crisis, exemplified by the ‘Access Kitchen’ initiative in Lebanon.

We, the members of the Women’s Peacebuilding Network in Lebanon,​​​​​​​ strongly condemn the ongoing war that jeopardizes every facet of life in our country. We emphasize the urgent necessity for immediate action.

Lebanon is in crisis. The ongoing conflict has left over one million people internally displaced with devastating consequences for women and girls. 2,792 people killed (75% male, 19% female and 6% children) and 12,772 injured (74% male, 18% female and 8% children) . With shelters at full capacity, safety and dignity are on the line.

Reem Haj Ali, living in Tripoli, is a founding member and Project and Programme Manager of the Ruwwad Al Tanmeya NGO. She serves as their focal point with UN Women under a project to increase women’s political participation. She is also engaged in combating gender norms in Tripoli through involving 120 university students in training and workshop sessions, who themselves will be conducting community initiatives in the North. She shares what she is doing to help and empower displaced women in the current context.

Amid the intensifying conflict and growing number of internally displaced people in Lebanon, women social activists and politicians are leading various efforts to ensure that the humanitarian response is not blind to women’s needs. Three of these women share their experiences as ‘women focal points’ for the Fiftyfifty civil society organization under a UN Women political participation project.

Josephine Zgheib is a long-time social and political activist from Lebanon. She is President of the Beity Association NGO and Vice-President of the Arab Network for Social Accountability. Zgheib was elected to the Kfardebian Municipal Council in 2010 and re-elected in 2016. Zgheib has helped develop strategic development plans for several Lebanese and Arab cities, launched myriad social justice campaigns, and helped many associations institutionalize themselves. She is also now running for Parliament.

Pregnancy is hard enough without adding the fear and risk of bombardment. So, when the hostilities intensified in Kfarsir–Nabatieh, South Lebanon last month, 29-year-old pregnant mother Lama Chami made the courageous decision to flee. Likewise, Afaf Shoaib, a 29-year-old mother of two, was forced to flee her home in Baalbek, northeastern Lebanon, and arrived with her husband and children at Auberge Beity a month ago, in the dead of night.

Amid the intensified armed conflict in Lebanon, women and girls are enduring unimaginable suffering. They need urgent shelter, winterization items, nutritious food, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, to be protected from gender-based violence, and have their rights and dignity guaranteed.

As the conflict in South Lebanon continues to escalate, Israeli air strikes on the capital, South and other parts of the country are displacing increasing numbers of people and shifting migratory flows from cities and shelters in the country’s south, towards the more ill-prepared north.

Nouhad Chebaro is among the 35 founding members of the Women’s Peacebuilding Network in Lebanon launched by UN Women. The network seeks to amplify its members’ contributions to inclusive and sustainable peacebuilding, and strengthen their leadership and participation through learning, exchange of expertise, networking and mutual support. She speaks to UN Women about her journey and efforts through the network.

Fidaa Sahili is a humanitarian activist who has championed development, social change, active citizenship and youth empowerment in Baalbek-Hermel for more than two decades. She currently leads the Assi Association for Development and is managing a UN Women-supported project empowering women peacebuilders. Amid intensified Israeli military operations, several women involved in the project have been displaced. Those remaining have faced significant are continuing their work and maintaining communication with the displaced, despite limited resources, mobility and risks to their safety.

Tamara Elzein is the first woman Secretary-General of the National Council for Scientific Research of Lebanon. She also held the role of President of the UNESCO Science Commission at its 42nd General Conference in November 2023. As a pioneering leader, she is trying to ensure the integration of environment and gender equality in the complex humanitarian emergency unfolding across Lebanon.