A Celebration of Women™

is elated to Celebrate the Life of this brave, envisioned activist and woman leader. Forging new paths for Arab Women, this powerhouse is the founder of KARAMA, RISING FOR DIGNITY; advancing women advancement, rights and human dignity in the Arab world.

 
 
 
 

WOMAN of ACTION™

 

 

Hibaaq Osman

“Democracy without women is hypocrisy”

 
 
 
 
Hibaaq Osman is a global political strategist, with a specific interest in the Middle East and Africa. Building institutions to promote peace, democracy, and human rights around the world, Ms. Osman conceives visionary approaches to end violence against women and address its multi-sectoral causes and consequences.

FINAL STATEMENT OF THE FOURTH THINK TANK FOR ARAB WOMEN

The Think Tank for Arab Women (TTfAW), which is comprised of local, national and international experts in women’s rights, held its 4th meeting in Cairo from October 1-3 convening 30 academics, diplomats, policymakers, journalists and activists from Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Bahrain, Kuwait, Libya, Tunisia, Sweden, and the United States.

The meeting prioritized discussion on the role of women in the Arab spring and its impact on the region in order to exchange regional and international experiences and lessons; foster coordination and cooperation; and develop strategic approaches to strengthening women’s political participation, as voters and as candidates, and to promoting women’s role in transitional governments and societies as peacemakers, decision-makers, and leaders.Read more

Above all, she emphasizes local knowledge and experience, amplifying and expanding initiatives from the ground up. The Founder of organizations and institutes in Africa and the Middle East, including three regional NGOs—Karama, the Global Dignity Fund, and the Think Tank for Arab Women, Ms. Osman works to influence and lobby policymakers to invest in women.

Karama is the Arabic word for dignity, as well as a growing movement, fueled by a coalition of national, regional, and international partners, to end violence against women and to promote their full and equal participation in the Middle East and North Africa.

Karama puts emphasis on women from the ground up, addressing violence as they define it, with solutions of their own design, to ensure their rights, safety, security, and protection.

Mission Statement
Karama’s mission is to build upon and strengthen approaches to raise and expand the influence of Arab women as leaders in regional and international contexts. In amplifying their voices and skills, Karama acts as a catalyst to end violence against women in the Middle East and North Africa by bringing together key civil society groups and enhancing their capacity for collaboration. Karama is about impact, influence, and dignity.

Karama Approach
Karama’s approach to end violence against women distinguishes it from other initiatives, as Karama works from the ground up, emphasizing local expertise and elevating this to inform national policies, regional dialogues, and international advocacy.
Karama takes a broader view in the belief that to bring an end to violence against women, it is necessary to identify the ways it affects and is affected by economics, law, health, media, education, and art/culture—the things that matter most in people’s daily lives—and to design strategies to combat it through each of these areas.
Karama works to end violence against women in the Middle East and North Africa by building coalitions addressing the multi-sectoral causes and consequences of violence and enhancing their capacity to advocate, lobby, and build awareness on women’s issues, priorities, and rights in the region.

Who we are
Founded by Hibaaq Osman in 2005, Karama is a regional NGO based in Cairo, Egypt with an office in Amman, Jordan. Operating throughout the MENA region, Karama has built a strong coalition with hundreds of partners in fourteen countries—including Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen.

RIGHTS & AWARENESS

In addressing violence against women and its causes and consequences, Karama employs a variety of tools and campaigns to:

a) build awareness of women’s issues and priorities
b) foster exchange and establishment of best practices
c) develop campaigns to garner support for key reforms at the national, regional, and international levels
d) collect, analyze and disseminate relevant research
e) develop and implement short and long-term strategies identified and agreed upon,
f) educate various stakeholders and provide training on violence against women and related issues
g) activate gender equality and human rights mechanisms to implement global standards and conventions on equal human rights for all

Karama works with women, men, and youth academics, activists, community leaders, politicians, parliamentarians, and others in an effort to cancel/ reform discriminatory laws and practices and promote women’s advancement, security, and protection in all aspects of public and private life.

Since 2005, Karama has affected advocacy, capacity-building, knowledge-sharing and exchange, and policymaking at the national, regional, and international levels. Many of our recommendations have been adopted into new and existing constitutions, as well as official recommendations made to the state by international bodies such as the UN.

Through her work with Karama, she initiated the launch of the Libyan Women’s Platform for Peace in 2011 and the Syrian Women’s Forum for Peace in 2012.

Named one of the 500 most influential Muslims, she serves on boards for organizations including Donor Direct Action, the Advisory Council for Omega Women’s Leadership Center, and UN Women’s Global Civil Society Advisory Group. She is also a member of the League of Arab States Expert Committee on Women, Peace, and Security.

 
On The Web

Twitter: @el_karama
Email: [email protected]

Karama Partner Initiatives

 
 

 
 
Our Video Choice: Violence Against Women: The mother of all Issues – DLDwomen 2011
 

 
Ibaaq speaks out on Syria – 2013

Talks have commenced to bring an end to the civil war in Syria that has killed more than 100,000 and forced almost 2.4 million men, women and children to flee the country, while millions more have been displaced internally. As is so often the case in such conflicts, women have been disproportionately affected by the fighting in Syria – women and children make up three quarters of the refugees in Jordanian camps.

Despite facing this terrible toll in the civil war, Syrian women’s voices will rarely be heard, if at all, during the Geneva II peace talks. One thing all the delegations have in common – whether the Syrian government, the Syrian opposition, or the UN – is the complete absence of women. READ MORE
 

“Women will make sure that the constitution protects women and women’s rights and justice. If you see a country that has left women behind, you will see a country that goes downhill.” – Hibaaq Osman

 
 
 
 
 

A Celebration of Women™

welcomes this visionary into our global Alumni with open arms, anticipating future collaborations in the establishment of dignity and human rights for all women.

 

 

Brava Hibaaq!