QAMISHLO_ Leader Abdullah Öcalan's announcement of the "Call for Peace and Democratic Society" on 27 February 2025 constituted a new station for opening horizons of peace and building a democratic society based on equality, and enhancing women's role in political life and decision-making centers.

To what extent did this call contribute to enhancing women's political representation in both Syria and Turkey? And what challenges do women face? To answer these questions, our agency conducted the following dialogue with the co-chair of the Organizational Bureau of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), Valentina Abdo:

How can the call for peace and democratic society constitute a new opportunity to enhance women's political representation in Syria and Turkey, especially in decision-making centers?

Following leader Abdullah Öcalan's announcement of the "Call for Peace and Democratic Society," and in light of sensitive regional and international conditions, hopes were renewed for finding political solutions to existing crises and putting an end to wars, after experiences proved that violence and weapons cannot achieve lasting peace.

The Middle East has lived for years amid conflicts, waves of displacement, and political and social crises, which makes this call an important step toward establishing sustainable peace and enhancing security and stability in the region.

For our part, we women, who have accumulated experiences and achieved important accomplishments in Rojava, affirm our support for this process, based on our belief that true peace is only achieved through dialogue and democratic solutions, and with an active and fundamental participation of women in the various stages of building it.

To what extent have women been able to participate in the political field during this phase? And what are the most prominent obstacles they face?

Women have played a pivotal role in various areas of life, and their participation in political life and decision-making centers acquires particular importance at this stage. In Rojava, women, through their struggle and their political and military participation, have proven their ability to lead society, represent its aspirations, and convey its voice to decision-making positions.

To transform this call into a tangible reality, women's active participation at various levels of the political process must be guaranteed, and they must be involved in building political relations on democratic foundations. Despite the gains women have achieved, challenges remain, foremost among them the patriarchal mentality that seeks to marginalize women's role and limit their political presence.

Based on that, we adopt democratic politics as an approach and strategy to continue our struggle, work to enhance the unity of the peoples of Syria, achieve the contents of this call in practice, and entrench the foundations of democratic integration.

In your opinion, how important is women's participation in building peace and a democratic society? And what role can they play in this process?

Throughout history and until today, women have constituted a fundamental pillar in building society and organizing its affairs, and have contributed with a spirit of collective work, cooperation, and participatory governance to entrenching its foundations and developing them. From this standpoint, a democratic society based on societal and participatory values cannot be built without women's presence and active participation.

The responsibility for achieving this transformation falls on women and youth, which requires enhancing our self-organization, developing the level of awareness and knowledge, and intensifying the struggle. The peoples of the region, benefiting from the thought and education they received from leader Öcalan, are also capable of transcending the challenges of this sensitive phase with conscious and unified steps.