On December 8, 2020, the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development and Lebanon Support co-organised a meeting with gender actors from the region to discuss the localisation of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign in accordance to local needs, also on how to inform global campaigns in general to be more in accordance with local needs and priorities. 

Léa Yammine (Lebanon Support) launched the discussion by reiterating the importance of taking into consideration the local context and conveying the local priorities in global campaigns, She also highlighted the necessity for coordination and concerted actions among gender actors. 

Adv. Samar Muhareb (ARDD) added that a participatory approach is needed to advance our own regional gender agenda in the Middle-East. This entails collaboration and knowledge sharing among gender actors in order to not have gaps and duplicated efforts. 

Participants agreed that information and data sharing between gender actors is crucial for proper advocacy and campaigning efforts that would lead to policy change. Myriam Sfeir (Arab Institute for Women at Lebanese American University) stressed that this participatory approach should not be limited to these 16 days of activism but continue throughout the year. Indeed, gender actors should focus on long-term actions rather than short and punctual interventions. 

She also suggested to launch a common regional campaign next year, in accordance with regional priorities and needs. 

Moreover, other participants added that information and data sharing among actors could lead to better tailored interventions and allow to address the root causes of gender based violence in each context. 

Towards this goal, other participants highlighted the need to have an adequate platform for discussion, coordination, and knowledge sharing among actors. Léa Yammine (Lebanon Support) introduced the Daleel Madani gender group, which provides an online space for discussion, concerted action around gender issues, and could be used by actors for the planning of campaigns and collaborations.

Finally, participants underlined that gender actors should be competing for quality, rather than amongst each other for funding, all the while enhancing coordination to amplify the impact of their advocacy. Actors should also learn from the best practices of others in the sector so as to improve their interventions.