Programs > By Location > Middle East and North Africa > Beirut Conference

ICNL Conference:
Strengthening Civil Society in the Arab Region: Models for Legal Reform

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Conference Participants can access extra materials not available to the public by using the password emailed to them in the box below.

July 3 - 5, 2006 | Beirut, Lebanon

The ICNL conference Strengthening Civil Society in the Arab Region: Models for Legal Reform brought together several dozen leading lawyers, academics and civil society activists to consider critical issues relating to the role of laws governing civil society in promoting a stronger civil society in the Arab world. Participants representing 12 countries had the opportunity to discuss a range of topics related to the laws governing civil society and law reform, and to make recommendations for action. Conference materials and conclusions are available to the public below.

Conference participants brainstorm ideas to promote law reform in their countries.

Conference participants attended interactive sessions and panels devoted to a variety of topics specific to the needs of Arab civil society organizations, including how to strengthen civil society in the Arab world, establish political will for legal reform, enhance civil society participation in government decision-making, and build on existing law reform initiatives in the Middle East.

The conference also featured presentations on the fellowship research projects of ICNL Senior Fellows Ziad Abdel Samad, Executive Director of the Arab NGO Network for Development (Lebanon); Sa'ed Karajah, Senior Partner at Karajah & Associates Law Firm (Jordan); and Mohamed Agati, Executive Manager of the Development Support Center for Consultancy and Training (Egypt).

Conference Materials

Jump to:
Conference Conclusions | Agenda | Conference Materials
Senior Research Fellows Conference Papers | Selected Presentations

Note: Unless otherwise specified, all files are in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format.

Lebanese Minister of the Interior Dr. Ahmad Fatfat delivers the Opening Address on the first day of the conference.

Conference Conclusions
- Establishing Political Will for Civil Society Reform (English) (Arabic)
  Record of the "guidelines" elaborated by workshop panelists to help establish political will for law reform.
- Country Priorities and Strategies (English) (Arabic)
  Record of presentations made by conference participants at the concluding session: priorities for Iraq and Jordan (group 1); Egypt, Bahrain, and Tunis (group 2); and other Arab states (group 3).
- Mechanisms to Enhance CSO Sustainability (English) (Arabic)
  Notes from workshop session. How can CSOs best enhance their continued sustainability?
- CSO Accountability and Transparency: Models for Internal Governance and External Oversight (English) (Arabic)
  Notes from workshop session. What are the best models for governance for CSOs in the Arab world? Is it more important to govern through internal procedures or external oversight?

Agenda (English) (Arabic)

Conference Materials (English) (Arabic)
Contents:
1. Afghanistan: Law on Non-Governmental Organizations (2005)
2. Kosovo: UNMIK Regulation No. 1999 / 22 on the Organization and Operation of Non-Governmental Organizations in Kosovo (1999)
3. Palestine: Law of Charitable Associations and Community Organizations (2000)
4. Turkey: Associations Law (2004)
5. Yemen: Law on Associations and Foundations (2001)
6. Kareem Elbayar, NGO Laws in Selected Arab States
  Reprinted from: The International Journal of Not-for-Profit Law (Vol. 7, Iss. 4, September 2005)
7. David Moore, Safeguarding Civil Society in Politically Complex Environments
  (DRAFT - Not for publication or citation)
8. David Moore, Laws and Other Mechanisms for Promoting NGO Financial Stability
  Reprinted from: The 2004 NGO Sustainability Index for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia (Eighth Edition: May 2005), The US Agency for International Development / Bureau for Europe and Eurasia - Office of Democracy, Governance, and Social Transition

ICNL Program Officer Cathy Shea and Mustapha Kamel El-Sayyid of Partners in Development - Cairo look on as Lebanese MP Ghassan Moukheiber discusses how law, environment, and capacity affect civil society organizations.

ICNL Middle East Senior Research Fellows Conference Papers (Arabic) (English)
(DRAFT - Not for publication or citation)
Contents:
1. Mohamed Agati, Egypt's NGO Law and Its Impact on CSO Capacity
2. Sa'ed Karajah, Civil Society in the Arab World: The Missing Concept
3. Ziad Abdel Samad, Civil Society in the Arab Region: The Needed Role and Obstacles to Fulfillment

Selected Presentations
Note: These files are in Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT) format.
1. Ziad Abdel Samad, Arab Civil Society: Between the Legal Framework and Other Constraints and Obstacles (English)
2. Zena Ali-Ahmad, Enhancing CSO Participation in Government Decision-Making (English)
3. Catherine Shea, Legal Obstacles to Civil Society: International Perspectives (English)
4. Jafar Al-Shayeb, Potential Responses to Government-Imposed Obstacles in the Arab World (Arabic)