Abstract

This paper presents key outcomes from the July 2025 multi-stakeholder event hosted by the Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in the MENA/SWANA region. Framed within the intersecting contexts of war, displacement, and systemic neglect, the report examines persistent policy gaps and structural failures affecting SRHR in crisis settings. It focuses on three critical areas: the marginalization of menopause and older women’s health, the criminalization and stigmatization of abortion, and the normalization of conflict-related sexual violence. Drawing on participatory feminist methodologies, the paper also introduces a regionally grounded SRHR Toolkit developed to support rights-based, locally informed responses. It situates SRHR within broader feminist frameworks of political economy, justice, and movement-building, and offers policy recommendations for advancing SRHR as a core political and humanitarian priority.

Author: Carla Akil

Date: July 2025