Programs > By Location > Middle East and North Africa > ICNL Workshop: Foundations for Civil Society Law Reform in the Gulf Region
عربي | English
Foundations for Civil Society Law Reform in the Gulf Region
June 18 - 19, 2007 | Amman, Jordan
Civil society representatives and government officials from Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen met in Amman, Jordan from Monday June 18th to Tuesday June 19th, 2007, to discuss basic principles for civil society law reform and how these principles can be applied to the Gulf Region. At the end of the two day workshop, which was facilitated by the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), workshop participants prepared a report containing their conclusions and recommendations for furthering law reform in the Arabian Gulf. Workshop materials and conclusions are available to the public below.
Delegates from a Jordanian CSO debate proper government regulation of CSOs with Yemeni MPs and a government official from Bahrain
Dr. Atef El Shabrawy of the Bahraini Ministry of Social Development discusses a proposal to amend the civil society law of Bahrain.
Workshop Materials
Jump to:
Agenda | Workshop Conclusions | Selected Presentations | Distributed Materials
Note: Unless otherwise specified, all files are in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format.
I. Agenda
II. Workshop Conclusions
III. Selected Presentations
Note: These files are in Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT) format.
- International Law Protecting the Freedom of Association and Civil Society Orgnaizations (English) (Arabic)
- Parterning with Government to Achieve CSO Law Reform: A Jordanian Case Study (English) (Arabic)
- Overview: Components of Good Laws Governing CSOs (English) (Arabic)
- Forming a Legal Entity (English) (Arabic)
- Government Supervision of CSOs (English) (Arabic)
- Internal Governance and Accountability of CSOs (English) (Arabic)
IV. Distributed Materials
Conference participants received a CD with the materials that follow. These materials are also available free of charge from the ICNL Online Library. If you do not have an ICNL Online Library account, you may be prompted to sign up for one when you click on the links to these items.
- Final Declaration of Delegates to the 2006 Forum for the Future Civil Society Preparatory Meeting (October 2006) (English) (Arabic)
- Checklist for CSO Laws (2006) (English) (Arabic)
- International Law Protecting Freedom of Association in the Arab World (2007) (English) (Arabic)
a) Civil Society Laws from the Gulf Region
- Bahrain: Law 21 of 1989 (English) (Arabic)
Law of Associations, Social and Cultural Clubs, Special Committees Working in the Field of Youth and Sports, and Private Institutions - Bahrain: Ministry Decision 1 of 1990 (English) (Arabic)
Model Regulations of the Basic Bylaws of Societies, Social Clubs, and Cultural Clubs Working Under the Supervision of the Ministry of Social Development (formerly of Labor and Social Affairs) - Bahrain: Ministry Decision 2 of 1990 (English) (Arabic)
Regarding the Organizing of the Register of Societies, Social Clubs, and Cultural Clubs Under the Supervision of the Ministry of Social Development (formerly Labor and Social Affairs) - Kuwait: Law 24 of 1962 (English) (Arabic)
Law on Clubs and Public Welfare Societies - Kuwait: Law 12 of 1993 (English) (Arabic)
Amendment of Some Provisions of Law No. 24 of 1962 - Kuwait: Law 48 of 1999 (English) (Arabic)
On the Basic Model Organization of Charitable Institutions - Kuwait: Law 74 of 1999 (English) (Arabic)
Concerning the System of Public Charities - Oman: Law 14 of 2000 (English) (Arabic)
Civil Associations Law - Qatar: Law 12 of 2004 (English) (Arabic)
Law of Associations and Private Institutions - Saudi Arabia: DRAFT Regulations of Associations and Civil Organizations (2006) (English) (Arabic)
- United Arab Emirates: Law 6 of 1974 (English) (Arabic)
Law on Public Associations - United Arab Emirates: Law 20 of 1981 (English) (Arabic)
Amending Some Provisions of Law No. 6 of 1974 - Yemen: Law 1 of 2001 (English) (Arabic)
Law Concerning Associations and Foundations
b) Civil Society Laws from the Broader Arab Region
- Palestine: Law 1 of 2000 (English) (Arabic)
Law of Charitable Organizations and Community Associations - Jordan: Law 33 of 1966 (English) (Arabic)
Societies and Social Bodies Law - Jordan: Proposed DRAFT Law of the Civil Society Organizations (2007) (English) (Arabic)
c) Civil Society Laws from the Outside the Arab Region
- Afghanistan: Law on Non-Governmental Organizations (2005) (English) (Arabic)
- Kosovo: UNMIK Regulation 22 of 1999 (English) (Arabic)
UNMIK Regulation on the Organization and Operation of Non-Governmental Organizations in Kosovo - Turkey: Law 5253 of 2004 (English) (Arabic)
Associations Law