|  Forum
for the Future
This NID provides
background information on the Forum for the Future and links to a
variety of news reports, op-eds and reference documents.
Background
"...
the Forum for the Future hopes to provide a setting for an
informal, flexible, open and inclusive dialogue, devoted to
strengthening democracy and the participation of civil society, to
developing skills training, and to encouraging the growth of
modern economies that generate wealth and that are well integrated
into the global economy."
Rabat Chairs’ Summary
At the first meeting of the "Forum for the Future" in
Rabat, Morocco, which was held December 10-11, 2004, the countries
of the Broader Middle East and North Africa met with the Group of
Eight (G-8) industrialized democracies to discuss political,
economic and social reform in the region. A preparatory sub-ministerial meeting was held on December
10, 2004 in the same venue.
On June 9,
2004, members of the G8 nations adopted a declaration titled
"Partnership for Progress and a Common Future with the Region
of the Broader Middle East and North Africa," at the Sea
Island Summit near Savannah, Georgia.
The Forum was hosted at the Moroccan
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in
Rabat.
"Political and economic reform have to go hand-in-hand if
not at the same pace," said U.S. Secretary of State Colin
Powell before the forum. "Some countries are ready to deal
with economic reform before political reform. Other countries are
more prepared to move with political reform and the economic
reform will catch up.
 "The general point here is that each country has to design
the pace at which it will move. Will we give encouragement to
these efforts? Certainly. Will we provide resources? Yes. The
Middle East Partnership Initiative is part of that effort and so I
think this is an exciting, long-term initiative that really gets
its kickoff tomorrow. I think it is going to be something that
will gain momentum as we go further."
The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) is a program
supervised under the U.S. State Department. MEPI was founded to
support economic, political and education reform efforts in the
Middle East. This initiative incorporates the use of global
private sector businesses and non-governmental organizations.
MEPI's economic focus is to improve region-wide economic and
employment growth driven by private sector expansion and
entrepreneurship. In the political realm, MEPI supports democratic
participation in the political process, where people have a choice
in governance, and there is respect for the rule of law. MEPI also
supports programs that promote full and equal opportunities for
women in society.
The "Forum for the Future"
participants endorsed the following actions according to the U.S.
State Department:
- Democracy Assistance Dialogue: The Dialogue's participants
will focus in 2005 on, among other things, providing electoral
assistance, improving the role of women, and advancing
relations between the region's governments and civil society,
through programs and projects supporting democratization and
public participation.
- Literacy: To advance the region's efforts to halve the
illiteracy rate over the next decade and improve education,
especially for girls and women, Forum participants will
develop a literacy plan of action for the region and convene a
meeting of Education Ministers in May 2005 in Jordan.
- International Finance: Recognizing that the private sector
is the engine of economic growth and job creation, Forum
participants established the International Finance
Corporation's Private Enterprise Partnership for the Middle
East and North Africa facility to support small and
medium-sized enterprises. They have already contributed over
$60 million of the $100 million goal for the facility. Forum
participants also welcomed the proposal for a Network of Funds
to improve the effectiveness of official financing in the
region.
- Entrepreneurship: Morocco and Bahrain, working with other
Forum participants, will establish two entrepreneurship
centers in 2005 to provide the region's young people with
opportunities and skills they will need to succeed
professionally.
- Microfinance: Working with the Consultative Group to Assist
the Poor (CGAP), Forum participants have established a
microfinance consultative group and will open a technical hub
and microfinance training center in 2005 in Jordan. CGAP is
also working with Yemen and other countries in the region on
developing microfinance projects to assist the region's small
entrepreneurs, especially women.
- Investment: The Investment Task Force, a private sector,
CEO-led group, will focus on increasing investment in the
region to spur economic growth and create jobs. The Task Force
will work with the region's governments and the OECD to remove
impediments to investment, including those related to
governance.
The second "Forum of the Future" is scheduled to be
held in Bahrain in November 2005.
Press Reporting
Arabs Reject U.S. Push for
Reform (Washington Post)
Senior Arab officials attending an international conference to
promote democracy in the Middle East emphatically rejected on
[Dec. 11] the Bush administration's assertion that greater
democracy in the region would help end terrorism. They argued that
the administration's strong support of Israel made it difficult to
undertake political reform or to stop extremists driven by hatred
of U.S. policies.. .."Let us face it," said the Saudi
foreign minister, Prince Saud Faisal. "We perceive no clashes
of civilization or competing value systems. The real bone of
contention is the longest conflict in modern history."
[more]
[Free Access/Registration May Be Required]
Arabs
Rebuff American Calls for Speedy Reforms (Arab News)
While agreeing that political, social and economic liberalization
is desirable, senior Arab diplomats disagreed with outgoing US
Secretary of State Colin Powell’s argument that reforms could
not be delayed for any reason. Speaker after speaker at the
“Forum for the Future” conference here said progress would be
difficult, if not impossible, without a resolution to the
Arab-Israeli conflict and lambasted the perceived US bias toward
Israel. [more]
Arab and Western Ministers
Voice Different Priorities (New York Times)
Foreign ministers from the Arab world met with leaders from
the West on Saturday at a conference dedicated to advancing
political change in this region. Instead, Arabs vented their
frustration with American support for
Israel. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, in an opening
statement to the group, spoke of efforts to make
"participation in political and public life more
inclusive" - the ostensible subject of the conference.
Nonetheless, one by one, representatives of 20 Arab states talked
largely about economic development and the ever-present thorn in
debate here, the Arab-Israeli conflict. [more]
[Free Access/Registration May Be Required]
Powell's final push for Arab
reform (BBC)
The controversial US initiative will open a dialogue on political,
economic and social reforms in North Africa and the greater Middle
East, with economic aid from the G8 as an incentive. [more]
|
