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Enheduanna
The Voices of Women from the Middle East
Enheduanna is the world’s first woman poet and author from the 23rd century BC. The daughter of the King of Akkad, a central city in Mesopotamia, today’s Iraq, she has been identified by historians as the world’s first ‘named author.’ The Middle East Program's blog, Enheduanna, commemorates her legacy and inspires diverse women contributors from the Middle East to voice their thoughts and express their ideas about the state of women in their countries and their often ignored yet important work to advance women’s issues across the region.
Most Recent
Enheduanna @ 5
Over the last five years, we have had over 180 contributions to Enheduanna on topics as diverse as women’s rights, climate change, migration, peacebuilding, entrepreneurship and digitization. Notable contributors include Lilia Labidi, former Tunisian minister of women’s affairs, Haleh Esfandiari, director emeritus of the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program as well as various ambassadors and ministers of the region.
Learn MoreFeatured Experts
Merissa Khurma
Director, Middle East Program
Haleh Esfandiari
Distinguished Fellow; Director Emerita, Middle East Program
Faria Nasruddin
Program Associate, Middle East Program
Sola Mahfouz
Global Fellow
Featured Series
Ana Huna Video Series
This new video series from the Middle East Women's Initiative blog, Enheduanna, features female thought-leaders from the Middle East & North Africa region reflecting on the conditions for women in their respective countries and dialoging on pathways forward for the political, economic, and social empowerment of women across the region.
Rising Voices: Women speak from MENA
A collaboration with news agency More to Her Story, consisting of regular special releases on the Middle East Women’s Initiative’s (MEWI) blog, Enheduanna. This series will spotlight the voices and stories of women and girls and reporting by women from the Middle East and North Africa.
International Women's Day 2024
On International Women’s Day 2024, MEP has collected its work over the past year on this year’s theme, “Investing in Women: Accelerating Progress,” which includes work on shifting to green and care economies, implementing gender-responsive financing, and investing in feminist change-makers.
Online Harassment as a Form of Gender-Based Violence
To commemorate the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, Middle East Program Director Merissa Khurma spoke with four women experts and activists to understand how online harassment is a form of GBV.
International Women's Day 2022
For International Women's Day 2022, MEP has chosen to focus on women and entrepreneurship as a critical component of women and the workforce in MENA. We invited innovators, researchers, and activists to comment on how the ecosystem has evolved to create more opportunities for women, and what barriers persist.
Women, Work, and COVID-19 in MENA
The COVID-19 pandemic is reshuffling the global economy, shutting down some sectors and spurring growth in others. To highlight this issue, the Middle East Program presents, "Women, Work, and COVID-19 in MENA," a blog series that aims to better understand the new dynamics facing women in the labor market.
International Women’s Day 2021
The Middle East Program invited women writers, scholars, and professionals from the Middle East and North Africa region who shine a light on the women of MENA. If their voices are heard, the Biden administration's Gender Policy Council’s work may effectively move the needle for women in a region that continues to be vital to US national security.
