Alice Kandaleft Cosma

Alice Kandaleft Cosma was born as Alice Kandaleft in Damascus to a family from the Al-Qaymariya district. There is little known about her youth, other than how similar to other Arab and Syrian female activists, she passed through missionary education programs. She spoke English, French, and Arabic. She was of Christian faith. She used the name Alice Kandaleft Cosma in public-facing activities after her marriage, such as during her work at the United Nations, but used the name Alice Kandaleft while at home. She completed her preparatory study at the Orthodox Patriarchate School, and continued her studies in Beirut at the Syrian Protestant College (today the American University of Beirut). Her master's degree at Columbia University was sponsored through a scholarship from the US government. Kandaleft Cosma then returned to Syria with the goal of improving the quality of education for girls. == Career and activism ==

Career beginnings and participation in Congress Prior to her appointment as a representative to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, Kandaleft Cosma taught at various girls' schools in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria through the 1920s and 1930s. Taking the role of the chair of the congress, Kandaleft Cosma helped in the preparation of the Arab Women's Congress for the Defense of Palestine in 1938. In 1939, Kandaleft Cosma joined the Ministry of Education in Syria. She was involved in the formation and oversight of women's organizations. Activism In 1945, Kandaleft Cosma became the first president and co-founder of the Arab Women's National League. and a final segment which was dedicated to answering questions which were posed by the audience about women's rights in the Middle East. Kandaleft Cosma was nominated by the Syrian government to go to the United Nations in order to vouch for women's rights and protections in Syria, making her both the first Syrian representative in the CSW (Commission on the Status of Women) and the first Arab woman to represent Syria at the United Nations. During the first meeting of the CSW, she expressed the name of the commission as being too simplistic. She further expressed her preference of using the original version of the wording (Commission on the Status on the Political Civil, and Economic Rights of Women) rather than its present name to no avail. In January 1948, Kandaleft Cosma became a rapporteur to the CSW. She was the second rapporteur for the CSW following Angela Jurdak Khoury. Kandeleft Cosma also participated in the organization of the third session of the CSW, held in 1948 in Beirut. Kandaleft Cosma worked at the United Nations until 1952, after which she returned to Syria. == Legacy ==

In 1933, Kandaleft Cosma wrote an article that challenged imperialism and colonialism, which was a continuation of a speech she had delivered known as, "The World as It Is and as It Could Be", while representing Syria at the meetings of the International Congress of Women in Chicago during the same year. These reflections, "The World as It Is and as It Could Be – Continued", were included in a column by Rebecca Stiles Taylor (an American journalist who was writing for the Chicago Defender at the time). In January and February 1942, Taylor dedicated four columns to the perspectives of women from around the world. Kandaleft Cosma was the focus of the last column. Notable Syrian writers and politicians met here, including Salah al-Din al-Bitar, Omar Abu Risha, Michel Aflaq, Fakhri al-Baroudi, and Muhammad Sulayman al-Ahmad. The salon was a gathering place for Syrian intellectuals throughout the 1940s and 1950s to discuss and debate philosophy and the state of Syrian domestic politics. Kandaleft Cosma also participated in the first founding meeting of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. == Death and burial ==

Alice Kandaleft Cosma died in the mid-1960s in Beirut, Lebanon (exact date unknown), where she is now buried. Kandaleft Cosma is known for her part in advocating for the women's movement for education and right to vote in Syria. == References ==