Third Forum draws Widespread NGO Participation

Civil society involvement represented a bright spot at the third annual Forum for the Future conference, hosted by the Government of Jordan, from November 30-December 1, at the Dead Sea, near Amman.

The conference brought together foreign ministers from the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations and Arab countries throughout the region.  The event was co- chaired by Jordan and Russia, as the host of the annual G8 meeting, which also includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who led the U.S. delegation to the Forum, called on delegates to push ahead with key democratic reforms and “to move forward actively with a robust reform agenda,” according to an article in the Jordan Times.

Jordan’s Prime Minister Ma’ruf Bakhit delivered the Forum’s opening speech, in which he said that a commitment to reform is needed for communities to progress and to develop better relations between society and state.

Representatives from 66 nations were invited to attend the formal meeting on “Political and Economical Empowerment,” which was designed to explore the tools needed to better drive forward development for the countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

The previous day, some 350 civil society representatives from across region participated in a parallel civil society event.  The focus of this dialogue included: the general situation in the region; future prospects with regard to spreading democracy, reform, and human rights; and how to overcome obstacles impeding further progress.

Representatives participated in seven simultaneous working groups to discuss such issues as the legal environment for civil society, elections, rule of law, corruption, independent media, and political and economical empowerment for women and youth.

At the end of this meeting, participants called on world leaders to take urgent measures to resolve regional conflicts, such as in Iraq, Israel, and Lebanon, before pushing ahead with much needed reforms.  The meeting also led to the selection of delegates to make presentations the following day at the formal event.

“A sign of the progress made in the region since the first Forum was held in 2004 is that at that meeting only five NGO’s were invited to speak while more than 50 were involved this year,” Barry Lowenkron, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy Promotion, said to AFP.

The third Forum for the Future built on the first two events, convened in 2004 in Rabat, Morocco, and 2005 in Manama, Bahrain.  The Forum constitutes an important opportunity for participating countries and civil society representatives to work together toward developing practical initiatives to launch reforms throughout the region.