The International Women’s Forum (IWF), a Washington-based global organisation of prominent women that furthers dynamic leadership, held its annual conference in Amman on the 14th of May, to dispel deepening misperceptions between the East and the West.

More than 500 IWF members from international chapters in 21 countries across the world attended the May 14-16 conference held under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania, who is honorary president of the IWF-Jordan. The conference was held under the theme “Building Bridges - Breaking Walls”.  The conference seeks to bridge the gap between Middle Eastern and Western societies through concerted dialogue that clarified and changed mutual myths and preconceived ideas on complex issues pertaining to democracy, educational systems, and the role of women.

International scholars, business leaders, NGO representatives, and Arab women parliamentarians were among those attending the meeting’s three main plenary sessions, focusing on Islam, Democracy and Modernization, the Future of the Arab World, and the role of Arab women. The conference's plenaries will discuss western democracy, and its compatibility with the needs of Arab and Middle-Eastern societies. It will also present different perspectives and visions for the future of the Arab World, as well as tackling Western stereotyping and misperceptions of Arab Women, according to the organisers.