Historic Global Syriac Women’s Conference concludes, final statement

BETH NAHRAIN — In an unprecedented cross-border show of unity, hundreds of Syriac (Chaldean–Assyrian–Aramean) women gathered simultaneously on Saturday in Germany, Syria, and Iraq to launch the Syriac Women’s Conference—a global forum aiming to reclaim women’s historical roles and promote their rights across various communities. Under the slogan, “It is time for Syriac women to reclaim their historical role… drawing strength from the legacies of Shamiram, Zenobia, and Ishtar,” the conference sent a powerful message calling for identity, gender equality, and political voice amidst sweeping regional transformations.

The conference was organized by the Beth Nahrain Women’s Union (Huyodo d’Neshe d’Bethnahrin, HNB), with events held in Polheim (Germany), Zalin/Qamishli (Syria), and Ankawa (Iraq). It brought together voices from various political parties, religious sects, civil institutions, and diaspora communities. Through regional forums led by women leaders from political, religious, and civil society organizations, the event highlighted the growing need for women’s representation, cultural preservation, and collective empowerment among Syriac women, who have long been marginalized in their societies.

Below the final declaration of the Global Syriac Women’s Conference in full.

Final Declaration of the Syriac Women’s Conference:

Out of our belief that the future of our nation depends on the liberation and organization of women, the Global Syriac Women’s Conference convened on July 12, 2025, under the slogan: “No Equality Without Justice, No Justice Without Women,” in various regions of our homeland (Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Tur Abdin, Urmia) and across the diaspora, with the participation of over 550 women representing political, social, civil, religious, and military organizations, youth movements, and independent activists from all branches of our people (Syriac–Assyrian–Chaldean–Melkite–Maronite).

This conference was not just an event—it was a powerful feminist cry that expressed the pain of the past, the truth of the present, and the dream of the future. It marks the beginning of a new phase of joint action at a time when our homeland is facing existential challenges threatening identity and survival. It provided a platform for women to assert their political, religious, and social roles amid ongoing violence, exclusion, and displacement.

This conference represents the voice of the Syriac woman worldwide, born from a deep sense of historical responsibility and unwavering belief that the women of our Syriac people are not merely partners in struggle, but its very core. Women have preserved the language, raised generations, and stood against cultural erasure and physical and spiritual genocide—from the Sayfo to ISIS, from forced displacement to modern slavery.

It is also a reclamation of women’s roles in political, social, religious, cultural, and civilizational struggle.

At this defining moment in history—and on lands marked by suffering and resilience—the daughters of our Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people united from across the globe in a historic first. This was not just a meeting; it was an unprecedented historic step that broke the wall of silence.

The conference marked a turning point and a collective awakening, raising core questions about our Syriac people’s future, while opening deep discussions on women, identity, exclusion, struggle, marginalization, resistance, absence, and return.

The Syriac Conference is not the end, but a beginning—the start of a new spring where free voices bloom, and the will for change rises from the heart of pain. It is the voice of the future and the cry of memory, a clear declaration that: 

There is no salvation without women’s participation. 

There is no survival without unity. 

There is no justice without recognition of our Syriac people’s suffering and rightful claims. We are fully aware that the road ahead is long. But this moment, which has brought us together today, is a seed that will grow, a spark that will ignite, and a horizon we will not allow to close.

As such, the Global Syriac Women’s Conference issues the following outcomes and demands, addressed to our Syriac people, the public, and local and international institutions—affirming that what we have begun must continue, deepen, and evolve into a sustainable, comprehensive struggle:

1. Establishing a unified women’s body composed of women’s organizations and independent figures, under the name Global Athto Syriac Coalition, aimed at coordination and joint work in all fields.

2. Launching a global campaign to defend Syriac women in conflict zones—against violence, rape, and marginalization—holding perpetrators accountable and documenting violations legally.

3. Promoting women’s role in preserving our Syriac people’s mother tongue and passing it on to future generations as a pillar of identity and national belonging, while supporting cultural productions (books, films, exhibitions, festivals, etc.).

4. Firm rejection of patriarchal mindsets, male-dominated systems, and party guardianship—both traditional and disguised—over women. Women’s will must be self-directed: free, conscious, independent, and future-shaping. Full equality is not just a demand but a revolutionary stance and a foundation for a just, free, pluralistic society where women are true partners.

5. Demanding that all official and political bodies fully recognize the will of our Syriac people and women, ensuring their effective participation in all decisions that shape their future. We reject all forms of exclusion, marginalization, and imposed guardianship, and we declare an ongoing battle against any attempt to silence our voices or revoke our rights. Our will is not up for negotiation—it is our weapon of resistance and the gateway to true freedom.

6. Calling on major powers and international and regional organizations to assume their moral responsibility toward our Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people, who have endured displacement, persecution, and discrimination for decades in their historical homeland. The international silence endangers our cultural and human existence. The world must ensure protection, support our national, cultural, and political rights, and guarantee our safe existence as an indigenous people that contributed to building human civilization.

7. Urging all churches, political parties, and social institutions of our Syriac people to assume historical responsibility and unify their goals and visions within a structured and unified leadership that reflects one voice defending our rights, working together for the greater good.

8. Establishing women’s training and education centers in the homeland and diaspora focused on awareness-building, training, and political, social, and cultural empowerment.

9. Challenging the “white war” in the diaspora—a silent violence against women disguised under misleading slogans of individual freedom—and exposing modern forms of enslavement masked by glamorous terms.

10. Renewing the call to preserve women’s memory through a digital archive and oral testimonies documenting women’s roles in wars, resistance, education, the church, and political struggle.

11. Affirming the spiritual and faith-based role of Christian women as bearers of the message in their homes and communities, and highlighting female Christian figures from church history—martyrs and saints—as inspirational models in women’s spiritual and national struggle.

12. Urging the Church to modernize its discourse on women’s issues, to oppose all forms of discrimination, and to promote the values of equality and love as taught by Christ—ensuring women’s fair representation in ecclesiastical affairs, including their active participation in church conferences, pastoral councils, and spiritual and social decision-making.

13. Calling for special pastoral programs for women in churches and ecclesiastical institutions, to strengthen their spiritual, social, and national awareness and their responsibility in defending the Church and community during times of persecution—just as many great faithful women did in our history.

14. Creating sustainable support programs to fund small and medium-sized projects, offer vocational, administrative, and financial training, and provide real employment opportunities for our women—promoting empowerment and economic independence.

15. Developing an action plan to engage with international organizations that focus on women’s and indigenous peoples’ rights, in order to gain advocacy and support.

16. Affirming the right of our women to self-defense and existence, and recognizing their pioneering role in fighting for freedom and dignity. This includes enhancing Syriac women’s participation in security, military, and self-defense roles—considered a core part of our Syriac people’s struggle against genocide and marginalization—and documenting the unique experiences of our women fighters while supporting and expanding reintegration and rehabilitation programs to sustain their protective role in society.

17. Confronting all forms of hate speech, incitement, and discrimination against the ethnic components of our region and working to expose and hold accountable those who promote such rhetoric, both legally and socially.

18. Raising public and institutional awareness of the devastating impact of forced migration and displacement on the existence and continuity of our Syriac communities in their historical homeland, documenting related human rights violations, and working toward solutions.

19. Unifying our demands within a legal and legislative framework to defend women’s rights, advocating for laws that ensure their active participation in political life and increasing their representation in decision-making positions—promoting gender justice and serving broader societal goals.

Conclusion:

The Syriac woman is not subordinate, but an inspiring leader—a founder of identity and survival. 

Just as Shamiram led, Inanna created, Zenobia resisted, and Theodora inspired through faith and wisdom, today’s Syriac is the heartbeat and living spirit of this people.

Yes, we will rebuild a free Beth Nahrain under the leadership of women. 

Yes, we will resist all attempts at annihilation and alienation through solidarity and organization. 

Yes, we will triumph. 

We will no longer be silenced. 

We will no longer be excluded. 

We are the women of Syriac—women of faith and freedom. 

We are the women of Beth Nahrain—of the land, the church, and the language. 

And together, we will lead the path of dignity and survival. 

Long live the Syriac woman—Free and Leading!

12 July 2025