No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ), jointly with Justice Without Frontiers (JWF) and other Lebanese civil society organisations, organises, on 10 March 2009, in Beirut, Lebanon, a civil society strategy meeting in preparation for the Sixth Forum for the Future, under the Italian and Moroccan co-presidency. The Forum for the Future is the annual meeting of governments and civil society of G8 and broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) countries, whose aim is to examine the state of play of democratic reform and human rights promotion in the Region.
The meeting in Beirut, which will gather civil society representatives from Lebanon, aims at preparing the ground for the reinforced involvement of Lebanese civil society in the 2009 Forum for the Future mechanism, and engaging them in the preparation of the 2009 Forum for the Future Workshop on Economic Reform, which will discuss issues relating to corporate civic responsibility; transparency and good governance as well as the role of private sector and issues relating to unemployment and poverty.
The civil society strategy meeting is intended to enhance opportunities for Lebanese democracy advocates to provide inputs and contributions to strengthen the Forum as a comprehensive process where civil society and governments can engage in proactive dialogue at the same level, working on a peer-to-peer basis.
This project is funded through the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Office of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). MEPI supports efforts to expand political participation, strengthen civil society and the rule of law, empower women and youth, create educational opportunities, and foster economic reform throughout the Middle East and North Africa. In support of these goals, MEPI works with non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and academic institutions, as well as governments. More information about MEPI can be found at: www.mepi.state.gov.
For further information, please contact: Gianluca Eramo, by email: geramo@npwj.org, phone: +32 2 548 39 10
