Kongra Star is a confederal and democratic women’s organization. It’s focus is organizing, educating, and empowering women and struggling for women’s liberation and gender equality in all spheres of life. It was founded in 2005 under the name Yêkitiya Star (named for the ancient Mesopotamian goddess, Ishtar). Kongra Star is organizing in Rojava, Northern and Eastern Syria and generally throughout Syria. There are also Kongra Star offices in South Kurdistan (the Kurdish region of Iraq) , in Lebanon and in Europe.

Kongra Star is based on a paradigm of democracy, ecology and women’s liberation. It seeks to develop a free Rojava, a democratic Syria and a democratic Middle East by promoting women’s freedom and the concept of democratic nation. This means the people themselves becoming a nation through the development of autonomous institutions for self-defense, economy, law, society, diplomacy and culture, without relying on power and the state. Kongra Star is made up of Communes, Councils, Academies, Cooperatives and Committees. An overall congress is held every two years. There, all the organizations, groups and committees that make up Kongra Star gather, evaluate their work and make decisions for the future. There the committee members and the Kongra Star coordinators are elected.

When the women’s revolution began in Rojava on July 19, 2012, the women’s movement played a leading role. It challenges all forms and expressions of patriarchy and misogyny, struggles against colonialist, assimilationist, genocidal and capitalist practices and policies. With this, it defends the peaceful coexistence and democratic participation and representation of different ethnic and religious communities in social, political and cultural life.

Aims of Kongra Star:

Effective resistance to the patriarchal mindset, sexism and misogyny in all spheres of life and active efforts to democratize the family
Strengthening the democratic and peaceful coexistence of different ethnic and religious groups in Rojava and North East Syria by challenging ideologies like nationalism, sectarianism, or chauvinism
Protection, preservation and revitalization of cultures in the face of cultural genocide.
Contribution to and advocating for a political solution to the Kurdish question in Syria and equal rights for women in a future democratic Syria
Realizing women’s equal representation and participation in all decision-making processes and all political and social life through organization and empowerment of women starting at the grassroots level
Struggle against all forms of gender-based violence by strengthening women’s self-defense, consciousness raising and social justice mechanisms
Protecting and improving the rights of children
Protection of nature by building a social environmental consciousness against all destructive and nature-consuming practices of capitalist modernity.
Strengthening women’s participation in economic life, especially by developing autonomous and collective economic projects

In order to pursue its goals, Kongra Star has 12 committees to focus on areas of work. In all committees, various autonomous work and projects are developed.

The committees:

1- Education and Academies Committee

2- Social Committee

3- Political Committee

4- Diplomacy Committee

5- The Civil Defense Committee

6- Rights and Justice Committee

7- Communal Economy Committee

8- The Finance Committee

9- The Culture and Arts Committee

10 – Media Committee

11- Health Committee

12- Ecology Committee