Back Middle East and North Africa: Middle East Forum for Democratic Political Action In an unprecedented forum, democratic activists from 15 countries in the Middle East and North Africa met in Morocco, Jordan and Yemen over the last nine months in an effort to renew determination toward the spread of democracy throughout the Middle East. The National Democratic Institute (NDI) recently facilitated this series of gatherings, which for the first time brought together a group of 150 leading democratic activists in the region to form a network of reform minded politicians, civil society leaders and journalists. Through the exchange of best practices, access to regional and international experts and skills-building training sessions, the leaders took unprecedented steps towards establishing a network of democrats who are well poised to lead their countries through the democratic reforms for which they advocate. The Forum was designed to meet the following objectives: Improve the delegates' ability to do their job as reformers. The Forum sessions provided practical and targeted journalistic, civic and political organizing skills, to improve the effectiveness of the participants' work in their respective countries. The sessions included training on party development, coalition building, conflict resolution, advocacy techniques and message development. The forum delegates were activists who currently hold positions within their parties and organizations that allow them to lobby for democratic reforms. The skills building sessions at the forum enabled these participants to return to their jobs with an increased ability to improve their effectiveness as reformers. Create a network of democratic Arab activists to encourage the sharing of best practices and personal exchanges among delegates. Participants took part in the forum as leaders in their field and in this capacity served as experts and resources for the each other. The delegates participated in practical exchanges among peers and trainers to solicit advice and feedback on democratic initiatives in their countries. A prevailing spirit of cooperation and tolerance during the forum encouraged regional idea sharing and discussions of best practices aimed at enhancing political participation in the Middle East and North Africa. Moreover, NDI will work with the delegates to continue to build the network, which, in the future ,will serve as a resource for activists who are willing and able to apply their skills to improve their work and address the challenges resulting from democratic transitions in their respective countries. During the gatherings, NDI witnessed the formation of an extremely determined group of activists. Having worked under circumstances that would thwart the persistence of most citizens, these leaders continue to courageously advocate for advancing democracy within their countries. The group, as a whole, is comprised of very diverse individuals, which will ultimately help the group sustain itself. The variety of experiences and goals of the delegates will serve as a resource on which the group may draw in the future. In order to further foster the development of the network, NDI plans to develop a series of tools that the delegates can use to communicate with each other, including email lists, a inter-active website and periodic country reunions. A complete review of the forum will be available in the final report which will be published shortly. Contact Information For further information on our programs in the Middle East and North Africa, please contact: Payton Knopf Send Email Updated November 2003 Back