Civil Society Groups Call for Reforms in Mideast, North Africa

Representatives to present recommendations to government officials
 

By David Shelby
Washington File Staff Writer

Rabat, Morocco -- More than 50 civil society leaders and activists from across the broader Middle East and North Africa gathered in Rabat, Morocco, December 8 and 9 to discuss how civil society groups and governments from the region can work together to ensure greater respect for human rights and political freedoms in their countries.

The meeting is part of the Forum for the Future, an initiative designed to bring together government officials, civil society representatives and business leaders from across the region to discuss political, economic and social reforms that could foster greater freedom and prosperity.

The Group of Eight industrialized nations (G8) initially proposed the creation of the Forum at their summit in Sea Island, Georgia in June and are also participating in the various meetings in Rabat. The G8 comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia.

"For us, it's like a dream come true to have a day where we can sit with the governments and talk about political and democratic reforms," said Mohamed al-Tayeb, who chairs the Yemeni Committee on Human Rights, Liberties and Civil Organizations.

He said that in the past, civil society has always been neglected or rejected by the regimes. With the rise in support from the international community, however, he sees civil society organizations starting to gain momentum and acceptance in the political arena.

But other participants offered a more sobering assessment of the situation in which these groups currently find themselves. "Objectively speaking, we have failed," said Lebanese lawyer and Amnesty International representative Chibli Mallat. "Nothing has changed. The indices of democracy have fallen behind."

He offered recent examples from across the region of governments refusing to accept the political alternation of power and of people being imprisoned for their political beliefs.

He said, however, that activists must continue to work for political reform. "We leave our families and our work to come here and meet, despite the odds, in the hope that this may be an important opportunity," he said.

Representatives from the civil society group will present their conclusions and recommendations to government officials during meetings December 10 and 11. Among the initiatives that they propose are the creation of an agency to monitor democratic reforms and a commission to keep track of prisoners of conscience.

Mallat said the agency monitoring democratic reforms should start by organizing observers for the January 9, 2005, Palestinian presidential election. He said that such a concrete action could be a first step toward demonstrating that the G8 and the governments of the region are truly committed to pursuing reforms.

He said the commission for monitoring prisoners of conscience should work to identify those who have been imprisoned for political reasons, monitor the conditions of their detention, offer support to the prisoners and their families, and work to obtain the prisoners' release.

All of the participants agreed that it is time to move beyond dialogue. "What we want is not just to read and listen and see limited progress," said Bahraini professor and women's rights activist Munira Fakhro. "We want something on a bigger scale."

She said, "We don't want to replace the political system. We want to participate and share in it." She said the civil society organizations are not there to compete with the government. Instead they seek to complement it.

Fakhro said she hopes the Forum for the Future dialogue will develop into more concrete interaction between the civil society groups and the governments of the region and that it will generate more programs, training and monitoring agencies to assess progress on political reform issues.

Mohamed al-Tayeb agreed. "We have developed a philosophy and programs to show our willingness to work with the governments, side by side, with a responsible, rational attitude," he said.

He added that the international community could use the final statement of the civil society meeting in Rabat as evidence to convince the governments of the region that the groups are willing to work with them and not against them.

Mallat said the international community has a role to play in maintaining a focus on political reforms, but he added that it is ultimately up to the people in the region to demand change. "To be effective, the international community needs us. They have no legitimacy otherwise." He called on all of the activists in the region to be more courageous in their demands.

Several of the participants said that it is in everyone's interest to work together toward political reform. Mallat said, "We are the agents of nonviolent change."

Fakhro echoed his remarks saying that terrorism is born of social and political causes. She added that the regimes in the region limit access to democracy, women's rights and free speech and said, "The governments have to realize that we live in the 21st century and that democracy, human rights and women's rights are spreading all over the world. And if it does not occur peacefully, it will come in a violent way."

Mallat said the governments of the region might have finally come to the realization that political reform is necessary. "The governments are nervous," he said, "and perhaps that's a good thing."

Fakhro observed that some governments in the region have already begun opening the political space to civil society organizations and political parties, and she said that other governments are watching the results carefully. She said that successes in one country could encourage other governments to pursue a similar path.

In the final analysis, Mallat said, "we'll see the proof in the results." He said that if the governments respond to the recommendations of the civil society group and acknowledge that this is the way forward, "it will be progress."