Webinar: Women in Conflict Zones

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Date/Time
Date(s) - Wednesday - Apr 29, 2026
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

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On Wednesday, April 29 at 12:00pm ET (find the time in your time zone), the Women in Conflict Zones webinar will focus on the widening war in the SWANA/Middle East region launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran. Featuring women’s voices from Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, and the West Bank.

Retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel Ann Wright will open the webinar with the latest update on U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) activities in the region. Dr. Jamila J. Ghaddar will talk about her work archiving conflicts across the region.

This webinar aims to create a space for examining the gendered impacts of war and violent conflict for all people who experience gender-based oppression.

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Speakers

Hanan Awwad

Hanan Awwad has been the President of WILPF Palestine since she started the Section in 1988. An academic, writer, editor and cultural advisor by profession, her main expertise lies in various areas including (resistance) literature, human rights and women’s rights. Hanan received a PhD from Oxford University, has published twelve books and received multiple awards for her work in defending human rights and dignity. Hanan is also a member of the Palestinian National Council and has represented Palestine in more than 700 conferences.

Dr. Parisa Babaali

Dr. Parisa Babaali is an Iranian American data scientist in the US Tech industry whose work bridges science, ethical AI, and human-centered innovation. She was born and raised in Iran during the 1979 revolution and travels regularly to Iran and keeps in contact with activists in Iran. She is an advocate for peace and uses her voice to speak against violence and the human cost of conflict. Passionate about advancing women in STEM, she mentors and supports the next generation of female leaders in the society. Parisa works extensively on addressing social determinants of health and advancing equity, using data and AI to uncover disparities and drive more inclusive outcomes across communities.

Hania Bitar

Hania Bitar founded The Palestinian Youth Association for Leadership and Rights Activation (PYALARA) in 1999, and she continues to lead it untill today.

She started her career as an English teacher at Bethlehem University, then worked as a business manager at the weekly Jerusalem Times newspaper.

In 2005, she co-founded the International Women’s Commission for a Just and Sustainable Peace between Israel and Palestine with Palestinian, Israeli, and international women leaders.

In 2006, she ran in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections as part of the “Third Way” list. She also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Arab American University in Jenin, and on the boards of several Palestinian NGOs such as MIFTAH and the Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC).

She founded the Global Solidarity for Peace in Palestine, which now includes more than 150 organizations, networks, and activists working worldwide to support Palestinian rights and issues.

In 2025, she was awarded the Seán MacBride Peace Prize by the International Peace Bureau (IPB) in recognition of her outstanding work in promoting peace, human rights, and resisting injustice under difficult conditions.

She is a founding member of the Media and Information Literacy Experts Network (MILEN). She was also selected as one of the Young Global Leaders and Young Arab Leaders.

In early 2026, she was elected as the representative of Arab Region to the UNESCO Global Alliance for Media and Information Literacy (MIL).

She is the author of many articles and a keynote speaker at various national and international conferences. In addition to her leadership skills, she is a professional media figure and an influential personality.

Dr. Jamila J. Ghaddar

Dr. Jamila J. Ghaddar is a Lebanese archivist, historian, and educator. She is Assistant Professor in Archival Information & Digital Humanities at the University of Amsterdam, founding director of the Archives & Digital Media Lab, and a Research Affiliate at the American University of Beirut’s School of Architecture & Design. Ghaddar serves as Co-Chair of the International Council on Archives’ Palestine Archives Task Force; Chair of the Middle East Librarians Association’s Archives & Records Management Training & Advocacy Group; and co-host of Archives & Heritage in Palestine. Ghaddar serves as a co-lead with Dr. Rami Zurayk and Dr. Hanine Shehadeh of the project, Fighting Erasure: Digitizing Gaza’s Genocide and the War on Lebanon.

Shirine Jurdi

Having lived a childhood of protracted conflict, Shirine Jurdi grew up with a belief that constant and continuing work towards peace, social cohesion and equality should be maintained. She fostered that with her studies at the Lebanese American University (LAU), the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) and her research fellowship at SOAS. This pushed forward and shaped her work on a nexus between theory and practice, between academic and grassroots activism in a holistic approach. For that reason, she believes in networking between different partners that work towards the same goals and accordingly has underwent extensive voluntary work with many NGOs and INGOs which tackles the root causes of conflict towards achieving peace, inclusion of gender equity and equality. She started her career working on consultancy projects with the Ministry of the Return of the Displaced, UNODC and as a researcher of Lebanese Heritage at LAU. In 2003, Shirine joined WILPF-Lebanon and is now an executive member of the Lebanon Section as well as the MENA Regional Representative.

Ann Wright

Ann Wright is a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel and a 29-year veteran of the Army and Army Reserves. She was also a diplomat in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia, Afghanistan, and Mongolia. She received the State Department’s Award for Heroism for her actions during the civil war in Sierra Leone. She resigned from the Department of State on March 19, 2003, in opposition to the Iraq war. She is the co-author of Dissent: Voices of Conscience and appeared in the documentary “Uncovered”. Ann is a board member of CODEPINK and an advisory board member of Veterans For Peace, International Peace Bureau, World BEYOND War, Gaza Freedom Flotilla, NO to NATO, Hawaii Peace and Justice, Pacific Peace Network, and Women Cross DMZ.

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