Taking regional activism to the top

DUBAI // Regional activists will debate democracy, human rights and environmental protection in the Arab world and neighbouring countries this week to develop proposals for a meeting of world leaders. Campaigners from nations such as Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, as well as the GCC and North Africa, start meeting in Dubai tomorrow to decide how best to persuade their governments to act on a such issues as freedom of speech, improving education and encouraging more democratic participation in politics.

Their recommendations are to be presented at the fifth annual Forum for the Future in Abu Dhabi this weekend, a meeting of foreign ministers from the region and their counterparts from the G8 nations. Activists from the UAE, which is hosting the forum with Japan, say it gives the region's emerging civil society a chance to engage with officials to try and improve their countries. "This forum is a channel to bridge the gap between civil society and government," said Dr Abdul al Khajah, a professor at UAE University and member of the National Organising Committee for Civil Society. "It was created to encourage civil society and show how it can be a partner with the government. It should be a partnership to help solve a country's problems."

He said after three days of workshops and discussions, the activists would issue general recommendations not tailored to any specific countries. They will be standards for all to aim for. "If you take education as an example, all children in the UAE go to school, but some other countries are not at this level. Each country can look at the recommendations and see whether they are achieving them or not."

However, the representatives of the various civil society groups are realistic about what they can expect to achieve. "It is not easy to talk about things like media [freedom], corruption, transparency," said Dr Ebtisam al Kitbi, a professor of political science at UAE University. "We hope to make it easier, to loosen the laws that are hindering progress. From my experience in previous forums, the government representatives always feel defensive when they are criticised. The forum [in previous years] could not find a way to force governments to implement the recommendations, especially on political reform. I hope this forum will not face the same problems."

She said the West has to shoulder some of the blame for the region's lack of progress on democracy and human rights in recent years. "The G8 does not have the same desire for reform in this region that it used to, perhaps because of terrorism," she said. "The US is not talking about political reform like it was in 2003 and 2004. It is more conservative. There is not the same pressure for change."