Under the patronage of H.E. Mr. Amr Moussa, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, some 100 representatives of Arab civil society organizations (CSOs) and governments as well as representatives of the European Union and several international organizations will gather in Cairo, Egypt as of February 10th in an attempt to discuss the status quo of freedom of association in the Arab world and to draw a roadmap for the future.
This major international conference concludes a three year (2007-2010) project aimed at enhancing the legal framework of associations in the Arab World through national dialogue and empowerment of civil society. Coordinated by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty (FNF), co-funded by the European Union (EU), implemented in cooperation with Arab partner organizations and enjoying the support of the Arab League (LAS), the main objective of the project has been defined as contributing to reform efforts that aim at harmonizing national legislation governing political parties, non-governmental organizations and trade unions in accordance with universally accepted international standards. Among the project’s main outputs have been guidelines for legislators and for CSOs that can be used as lobbying and advocacy tools and a set of codes of conduct for NGOs, workers’ unions and political parties in the Arab region.
In October 2009, and in the framework of the project, Arab civil society activists gathered in Broumana/ Lebanon and initiated the creation of an “Arab Council for Freedom of Association” (ACFA). While preparations are still on-going to register ACFA in Beirut, the dual goals of the to-be-formed institution have been defined as lobbying for better laws governing political parties, trade unions and NGOs and working towards enhancing the image and performance of CSOs to better serve the democratic processes in their countries.
During the upcoming Cairo conference, the ACFA initiative will launch its first report analyzing the current status of freedom of association in 10 Arab countries.
While the project has over the past years mostly focused on Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Syria, the organizers of the upcoming Cairo conference seek to reach out beyond these core project countries and to promote the project results to the Maghreb states (Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco), the Gulf, Yemen, Somalia, Mauritania, Iraq and beyond, with representatives of all the mentioned countries expected to attend.
“We have learned a number of lessons throughout the implementation of this three-year project on Freedom of Association and want to share them with other organizations and stakeholders” said Mr. Ralf Erbel, Resident Representative of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty, Amman office, which is implementing the project.
“We were not alone in the field. There were many initiatives in the region to modernize Arab legislations: Amnesty International, the International Federation for Human Rights, the Euro-Med Human Rights Network, Human Rights Watch, etc... And each initiative has had its successes and failures” said Mrs. Ubab Murad, the project manager. “We will gather in Cairo to share the success, learn from our mistakes and draw a roadmap for the future”, she added.
The project which ends in February 2010 has created a remarkable dynamics in the region and is credited to be the first project of its kind to succeed in gathering all major components of civil society together to work towards a matter of mutual concern.
Contacts
For more Information contact:
Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty - Amman Office
Tel.: +962 6 5858730- 5858635
Fax: +962 6 5858142
P.O Box 921811
Amman 11192 Jordan
www.arab-laws-reform.net
Contact person: Ubab Murad
