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DEMOCRACY IN THE ARAB WORLD. IN RABAT, NEW INITIATIVE ORGANISED JOINTLY BY « NO PEACE WITHOUT JUSTICE » AND THE ITALIAN AND MOROCCAN GOVERNMENTS
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Brussels, 23 September 2005 - On 1 - 3 October 2005, the International Colloquium on “Political Pluralism and Electoral Processes” will be held in Rabat, organised by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Morocco and of Italy and by the international non-profit organisation No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ). Ministerial-level representatives from all the countries of the Middle East and North Africa and non-state actors of the region will participate in the meeting on a peer-to-peer basis.
The Colloquium is part of the “Democracy Assistance Dialogue” (DAD) program, established in the framework of the “Forum for the Future”, promoted by the G8 and aimed at promoting productive dialogue between non-state actors and governments of the broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA), with a view to developing specific reform initiatives on issues relating to political reform, democracy and human rights. The colloquium builds on a consultation process in which a preparatory meeting was organised by NPWJ in Venice on 21-23 July 2005, where more than 120 experts and non-state actors of the region adopted a final declaration with specific recommendations developed with a view to the dialogue with governments that will take place in Rabat.
The Italian Government, which together with the Turkish and Yemenite Governments is a sponsor of the DAD program, is convening this event in cooperation with the Moroccan Government, who has accepted the invitation to hold the Colloquium in Rabat, and with No Peace Without Justice who is in charge of the implementation of the DAD program together with two other non-governmental partners.
MEP Emma Bonino, the driving force behind the No Peace Without Justice campaign for Democracy in the Middle East, which began with the Sana’a Conference of January 2004, will participate in the opening session, alongside representatives of the host governments, including an Italian delegation headed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alfredo Mantica.
Across three parallel thematic sessions, participants will have the opportunity to discuss the following themes: “Standards, status and role of political parties”, “Electoral systems, rules and monitoring” and “Access to the media and political pluralism”. The choice to focus on these items reflects the efforts and accomplishments of actors in the region, as illustrated by the elections held in Palestine, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Egypt.
The results of the Colloquium, which will be attended by representatives of the G8 and other governments and non-state actors, will be brought to the next Foreign Affairs Ministers Summit of the Forum for the Future, to be held in Bahrain in November 2005.
The Colloquium is part of the “Democracy Assistance Dialogue” (DAD) program, established in the framework of the “Forum for the Future”, promoted by the G8 and aimed at promoting productive dialogue between non-state actors and governments of the broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA), with a view to developing specific reform initiatives on issues relating to political reform, democracy and human rights. The colloquium builds on a consultation process in which a preparatory meeting was organised by NPWJ in Venice on 21-23 July 2005, where more than 120 experts and non-state actors of the region adopted a final declaration with specific recommendations developed with a view to the dialogue with governments that will take place in Rabat.
The Italian Government, which together with the Turkish and Yemenite Governments is a sponsor of the DAD program, is convening this event in cooperation with the Moroccan Government, who has accepted the invitation to hold the Colloquium in Rabat, and with No Peace Without Justice who is in charge of the implementation of the DAD program together with two other non-governmental partners.
MEP Emma Bonino, the driving force behind the No Peace Without Justice campaign for Democracy in the Middle East, which began with the Sana’a Conference of January 2004, will participate in the opening session, alongside representatives of the host governments, including an Italian delegation headed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alfredo Mantica.
Across three parallel thematic sessions, participants will have the opportunity to discuss the following themes: “Standards, status and role of political parties”, “Electoral systems, rules and monitoring” and “Access to the media and political pluralism”. The choice to focus on these items reflects the efforts and accomplishments of actors in the region, as illustrated by the elections held in Palestine, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Egypt.
The results of the Colloquium, which will be attended by representatives of the G8 and other governments and non-state actors, will be brought to the next Foreign Affairs Ministers Summit of the Forum for the Future, to be held in Bahrain in November 2005.
