Gender equality is missing from most of the studies on transition processes in Syria. This gender gap in transition planning prompted the publication of this policy brief by IFE-EFI and Hivos. The insights are based on more than two years of debate betweenSyrian women’s rights activists both inside and outside Syria and our common work bringing together researchers, activists and policymakers from Syria and internationally. First, we elaborate on the role of women in Syria and the rest of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in the current political transitions and the risks of the regression of rights. Second, we address thecore theme of this publication – the engendering of transition planning. Third, we pay attention to the need to combine rights and social justice discourses. Finally, we present a set of policy related recommendations for the international community to influence the transitional processes in Syria from the perspective of social justice, democracy and implementing human rights for women and men.