WOMEN ARE CONTRIBUTORS TO DEVELOPMENT (WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP)

Throughout history, the central role of women in society has ensured the stability, progress and long-term development of nations. Today, women in leadership positions are doing extraordinary work and have proven to be successful leaders on many levels, particularly in responding to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

In Syria, the war placed a heavy burden on women, where hundreds of thousands have suddenly found themselves refugees, internally-displaced and in many cases have become the head of their households without any stable form of income. Due to Covid-19, new barriers have emerged across the world; women continue to face domestic violence, the burden of unpaid care duties, unemployment and poverty. However, there are bright examples of women inspiring other women to change for balance.

The Head of the Water Resources Information Centre in Damascus, Souad Obeid, 50 years old, takes us through her long years of career experience and the challenges she faced during the past 25 years of work. Souad, who began working after completing her studies, was the only female worker amongst her colleagues at the Ministry of Water Resources;  within a short period, and with an archive full of researches and academic papers, Souad became an active member and a decision maker in her workplace.

“We live in a society where women are supposed to act differently to men, and so when we do prove ourselves, mainly in the workforce, it becomes remarkable,” expressed Souad.

From 2002 onwards, Souad has been leading her team of engineers to establish the Water Resources Information Center in the Ministry. The centre created geographical information systems for the Barada Awaj Basin around Damascus and the coastal basins, including data on groundwater, surface water and water quality assessments. When the crisis broke out in 2011, the water and irrigation sector was significantly affected; water networks and irrigation stations across the country were targeted and damaged during armed conflicts.  

“Ten years of crisis in Syria was the biggest challenge we could ever face. However; giving up was never a choice for me, this gave me the strength to pursue what we all started, myself and the team had to double the efforts to fill the gap and meet the needs, despite facing a huge lack of expertise,” said Souad.

In 2015, Souad was assigned as the Head of the Water Resources Information Center in Damascus. The water resources management in Syria continues to face numerous challenges, Souad who received a number of technical training sessions provided by FAO on water resources management, is now involved with FAO in sharing her knowledge with other young technicians, selecting the participants and encouraging female staff to take part in the training to reinforce the concept of gender equality .

 “I believe women can play a vital role in changing and improving their communities, women can only thrive through obtaining full and equal rights. Society, economy, politics, and all sectors can’t flourish without both gender’s participation,” she stated.

“Besides my role as a mother of three children, I am also a leader at my work place, which is no easy task, I did work hard to reach this level and I still believe gender equality is the key to ensure a prosperous future,” added Souad.

FAO is committed towards achieving and promoting gender equality in all its areas of work, this is aligned with SDG 5 on “Gender Equality” and women’s empowerment, which is central to FAO's mandate to achieving food security for all, improving agricultural productivity and ensuring the full participation of rural people in decision-making processes.

In 2020, FAO designed special training events for women, focusing on entrepreneurship and small-scale business management. The aim is to ensure women’s involvement and full participation in the development of the agricultural sector.  According to studies conducted by FAO, statistics shows that when women have equal access to services and resources they contribute significantly to the rural development and the elimination of hunger and poverty. Therefore, FAO joined efforts with its relevant partners to enroll women within its activities and programmes and to achieve equality between women and men in sustainable agricultural production.

-Ends-