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Topic Discussion III
Participation in
Democratic Decision-Making:
The Vital Voices of Women, Civil Society and
Pluralism
Room 1
(7 of 16 pages)
Frank Loy: Why don't you save that for a later intervention if you would.
I thank you for the intervention that you made now and you can come back with that point at a later time. Some
quite provocative comments. And helpful ones. I was particularly struck by one that Mrs. Gogoberidze made when
she said that without NGOs, governments can't get the trust of the people. That's kind of a remarkable and interesting
statement. The floor is open and if you would raise your hand or hold up your sign, I will try to recognize you
in order. If you would try to limit your interventions to something between three and four minutes, I would be
grateful, so we can make sure that everyone gets an opportunity to speak. And if I have forgotten your name, I
apologize. Mr. Anthony.
John Duke Anthony: Thank you very much. Even though I'm from the south region where people speak a little
more slowly than other regions in the State, I'll try to speed it up. In terms of the non-governmental organizations
roles in the United States at least, regarding this regions, we are constantly being told both by the host government
here and by our own department of State, National Security Council and other US governmental agencies, that the
roles of NGOs are quite significant. Indeed replace the roles that for political reasons, the government is not
able to play. By and large in a general sense, a relationship with this region is strong in the defense area, strong
in the economic area, quite strong in the indogy (ph) area. But it's quite weak in the people to people area, quite
weak in the private sector to private sector area, and quite weak in the institution to institution area. Here's
where the NGOs, or either out front of, or certainly complement in a very positive way, their role of government.
To Syria for example, a country that is demonized in the American media, and also in congress, for political reasons
we've had 25 delegations that we have sent to Syria which is more than all the official US delegations in the last
ten years combined. So on the ground there, there is this people to people thing that goes in a direction where
the governmental policy precludes. To Saudi Arabia we've had 25 delegations, more than all the other private sector
organizations in the United States combined. When we began on the question of women, there were only two American
women who had done empirical research in Saudi Arabia, and were considered scholars on Saudi Arabia. As a result
now, there are 85 American women who have done research in Saudi Arabia through the NGOs. Couldn't come through
the government there. A quite remarkable increase.
In the organization that I head, 85 percent of our employees working on Arab issues, US Arab issues, from the very
beginning, 85 percent have been women. Here in the embassy of Yemen, it is a remarkable breakthrough, where you
have a sort of a token male on the hierarchy of the politically appointed staff in the career of Foreign Service.
So there are all these major breakthroughs that are occurring, and that old habits seem to die hard. Though in
the United States we have a stereotype that women state enrolled in position and prestige and rights and mights
and plights here, is pretty deplorable, there are at least four Islamic countries where women have become the head
of State and we have yet to have that situation in the United States. And in the realm of economic rights, the
economic rights of Muslim women legally at least, in some ways further advanced than those amongst western women
have yet to achieve. These are just a few comments on the women's aspect in participation, and also that of NGOs.
Frank Loy: Thank you, Mr. Anthony. Who has the floor? Mr. Nierli (ph).
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