An international conference hosted by the Rojava Center for Strategic Studies in the city of Amude in Kurdish-liberated northern Syria from July 7-9 called for international support for the establishment of self-administration in areas liberated from Islamic State of Syria (ISIS) terrorist rule.
The “International Forum on ISIS: Dimensions, challenges, and confrontation strategies” was attended by more than 200 people, including politicians, researchers and representatives of civil society institutions from several countries.
Conference participants discussed various aspects of ISIS’ terrorism, including political, historical, military, security, cultural, religious, economic, social and human rights. The persecution of women was also taken up through direct, written and visual contributions and discussion.
Participants who could not attend in person participated in the forum through videos, letters and messages.
A conference statement argued that “In order for ISIS not to reorganise itself, there is a need to establish security and stability in the region. This requires support for self-administration in various areas.”
The conference recognised that these areas were liberated at the cost of “enormous sacrifices made by the People's and Women's Protection Units [YPG and YPJ] and the Syrian Democratic Forces [SDF]”.
Since the liberation of the last of the ISIS-occupied territory in March this year, the self-administered areas of northern and eastern Syria set up by the liberation forces have enjoyed secure and stable conditions.
However, these same liberation forces and the communities in these self-administered areas have been denied representation in the international negotiations to resolve the Syrian crisis.
The conference statement said that this was “a gross injustice against the components of the region” and this had a negative impact on security and political stability in the region.
The conference also called for an international tribunal in northern and eastern Syria to prosecute the tens of thousands of detained members of ISIS and their families and for international material and logistical support to assist such a process.
To protect women's freedom and dignity, the conference called for “a new political and social system that guarantees the rights of women in all spheres”. It also called for recognition of the genocide against the Yezidi people.