News

News from the Field: Dialogue on democratic values in the Arab world

The Club of Madrid is a non-governmental organization that utilizes the unique leadership experience of its 66 members, all former Heads of State and Government, in support of democratic transition and consolidation. The "Dialogue Project" is locally owned through inclusion of a variety of official and civil society interlocutors and support by national partner organisations who will guide the sharing of national experience with CoM leaders. Discussions will be enriched by external analysis conducted by FRIDE, a Madrid-based think tank and sister organisation of the Club of Madrid. Recommendations for further policy and legal reform will emerge from the dialogue process and CoM Members will address the public in a variety of fora to increase awareness of the importance of pluralist participation.

Parliamentary elections in Morocco and municipal and parliamentary elections in Jordan this year make issues of freedom of association and political participation especially timely. The Club of Madrid has engaged with Islamist parties, including the Party for Justice and Development in Morocco and the Islamic Action Front in Jordan as the democratic participation of moderate Islamist parties is a key challenge and opportunity across the region. In Bahrain, together with a support from the European Commission's Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights, CoM is developing a similar programme and expects to share the experience of dialogue with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia in 2008.