WSF Steering Group Meeting, 13 April 2026
On 13 April, the Women for a Sustainable Future (WSF) Steering Group convened online to assess progress since the January Steering Group meeting and identify priorities for the coming period. A key focus was how the network should respond to the escalating conflict in West Asia and its implications for Europe and the international rules-based order.
The meeting brought together parliamentarians, diplomats, and civil society leaders from Egypt, Finland, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Members from Lebanon and Iraq offered first-hand accounts of the conflict's consequences - not just the immediate violence, but the deeper social tensions and divisions it is exacerbating. In Lebanon, up to a quarter of the population has been displaced, with local livelihoods in some areas almost entirely erased and no clear path to return. In Iraq, a prominent female activist was killed in the early days of the war, civil society has been significantly curtailed due to funding cuts, and armed groups are exploiting the instability. These are not isolated crises: members warned that social tensions are building across the region in ways that will not stay contained.
The group also identified risks largely absent from European public debate and media. The resurgence of terrorist groups, fed by regional instability, poses a direct threat to European security. Conflict-driven displacement also poses a real risk to Europe’s social cohesion landscape but remains insufficiently acknowledged and addressed.
Among the strategic priorities identified for the WSF network going forward were convening a series of online roundtables in response to the escalation of social tensions, focused on Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria. These dynamics risk further fuelling instability over the long term and remain underrepresented in policy discussions. The network will also prioritise discussions on post-conflict recovery and the “day after”, ensuring that frontline perspectives inform political and policy responses, including through engagement between regional and European parliamentarians.
The network also agreed to strengthen cross-regional dialogue, including through engagement with national parliamentary groups in Europe, to build political pressure to end the war and address its consequences. A core focus of the network’s work will also be to ensure that women’s perspectives are fully integrated into decision-making, including on rising gender-based violence, the disproportionate care burden on women, and their role in post-conflict recovery. These dimensions are essential to achieving a sustainable resolution to the conflict, yet remain under-prioritised, with the WSF playing a key role in advancing this agenda.