Arab Laws Reform

Under the Patronage of His Excellency

Mr. Amr Musa

Secretary-General, League of Arab States

International Conference:

“Freedom of Association

A Roadmap for the Future”

Arrival: 09.02.2010

Departure: 12.02.2010/13.02.2010

Day 0

09/02/2010

Arrival of All Participants

Transportation for all participants from the airport to the hotel and back shall be provided

Please read the administrative and logistic letter for further details

(The nine national reports on the state of FOA in the Arab World will be distributed by email before the conference)

Dinner: A snack shall be available at the hotel in the evening

Hotel

Shepheard Hotel

Cornishe El Nil - Garden City - Cairo - Egypt

Phones: (202) 2792 1000

Fax: (202) 2792 1010

Website: www.shepheard-hotel.com

First Day 10.02.2010

VENUE: LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES, CAIRO

8:00 Departure from hotel to LAS

Participants shall all gather at the hotel lobby

8:30 - 9:00 Registration

9:00 – 9:45 Welcoming Speeches

(Master of Ceremony: Mrs. Shaymaa Salem, Coordinator, Civil Society Department, Office of the Secretary General, League of Arab States (LAS))

§ Dr. Ronald Meinardus, Regional Director Middle East and Northern Africa, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty (FNF), Cairo – Egypt

§ Dr. Sassin Assaf, Secretary General, the Arab Centre for the Development of the Rule of Law and Integrity (ACRLI), Beirut -Lebanon

tab-stops: list .25in;">§ Mr. Hafez Abu Saada, General Secretary, Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR), Cairo - Egypt

§ Mr. Michael Ryan, Head of the Political Section of the EU Delegation, Cairo - Egypt

§ H.E. Mrs. Nancy Bakeer, Arab Commissioner, Civil Society Commission, LAS, Cairo – Egypt

9:45 – 10:15 Coffee break

10:15 – 11:45 First Session

Moderated by Dr. Sassin Assaf

15 min each:

• Presentation of “The Project and its Results - 2007-2010” (by FNF’s Mrs. Ubab Murad)
• Statement by Mrs. Ebba Augustin, independent project evaluator
• Presentation of the “First Report on the State of FOA in the Arab World”, Dr. Sassin Assaf, Secretary General, the Arab Centre for the Development of the Rule of Law and Integrity (ACRLI), Lebanon

• 11:00 – 11:45: Celebration of the launch of the first publication by the Arab Council for Freedom of Association (ACFA)

11:45 – 13:30 Second session:

Discussion of reports’ findings, recommendations, followed by open Q&A

Session moderated by: H.E. Mr. Hisham Youssef

Panel comprising key project countries (11:45-12:45)

Panellists:

· Dr. Sassin Assaf, Secretary General, ACRLI, Lebanon

· Dr. Hafez Abu Saeda, Secretary General, EOHR, Egypt

· Dr. Nawal Faouri, Board of Trustees, the National Center for Human Right (NCHR), Amman - Jordan

· Dr. Azmi Shueibi, AMAN’s Commissioner for Fighting Corruption, Palestine

Panel representing project’s outreach countries (12:45 – 13:30)

Panellists:

• Dr. Arous al-Zubair, University Professor, Algeria
• Mr. Mestour Abdul-Ali, President, Citizenship Forum, Morocco
• Mr. Muhammad al-Saleh Khuraji, Secretary General, Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights; Board Member, Arab Institute for Human Rights, Tunis

13:30 – 15:00 Lunch Reception at the League of Arab States

After 15:00 Free time in Cairo

Optional: Cultural tour – visit to the Pyramids (minimal fees by participants / registration required)

20:00 Transfer from hotel to a joint dinner at the “Nile City”

Participants are kindly requested to gather at the hotel lobby no later than 20:00!
Second Day, 11.02.2010

VENUE: SHEPHEARD HOTEL, CAIRO

9:00 – 11:45 Third Session

Initiatives on FoA: Opportunities, challenges and a roadmap for the future from an international perspective

Session moderated by Mr. Ralf Erbel, Resident Representative in Jordan and for Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty

Keynote speaker: Mr. Sebastien Lorion, Focal point - Thematic programmes, Directorate A - Europe, Southern Mediterranean, Middle-East and Neighbourhood Policy, EuropeAid Co-operation Office, European Commission

7 minutes presentations by:

• Mr. Moataz El Fegiery, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) project, Cairo – Egypt
• Mrs. Dina Dandachli, Middle East and North Africa Projects, Club De Madrid (CdM)
• Mrs. Stéphanie David, Middle East and North Africa Desk Director, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

• Mrs. Mervat Rishmawi, Legal Adviser, International Law and Organizations Program, Amnesty International (AI)
• Ms. Dima Jweihan, Legal Consultant for the Middle East and North Africa, The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), Amman – Jordan
• Heba Morayef, Egypt and Libya - Human Rights Watch (HRW), Cairo – Egypt

10:30 – 11:00 Coffee Break

11:00 – 11:45 Continuation of panel discussion and Q&A

Participating organizations will submit a three page paper on their experiences

Challenges, recommendations for future projects

11:45 – 13:00 Fourth Session

Obstacles facing Freedom of Association in non-project countries in the Arab World (Bahrain, Yemen, Iraq, Mauritania, Sudan), Legislation and practice

(Session moderated by: H.E. Mrs. Nancy Bakeer, Arab Commissioner, Civil Society Commission, LAS, Cairo – Egypt)

• Mrs. Meena Kadhimi, Board member and head of Media and International affairs department, Bahrain Women Association
• for Human Development
• Mr. Othman Hassan, Human Security Initiative Org. MAMAN, Sudan
• Mr. Muhammad Mikhlafi, Director, the Yemeni Observatory for Human Rights, Yemen
• Mr. Muhamad Salem Wild Sayed Ahmad, External Relations Officer, Mauritanian Intellectual Club for Democracy and Development, Mauritania
• Mrs. Ala’ al-Jibouri, Iraqi Peoples’ Cultural Forum, Iraq

Representatives of these countries will submit a three page paper summarizing legislation related to political parties, trade/labour unions and NGO’s

13:00 – 15:00 Lunch Break, Hotel

15:00 – 17:00 Fifth Session

The National Coalitions for Freedom of Association Initiative– Achievements and Challenges

Session moderated by: Mr. Hafez Abu Saada, General Secretary, Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR)

Panellists:

• Mrs. Ubab Murad, Project Manager, FNF-EU co-financed project on Freedom of Association in the Arab World: “General Overview”
• Mr. Saddam Abu Azzam, Head of Legislations Department, the National Centre for Human Rights – NCHR: “Towards a National Coalition for FOA in Jordan”
• Dr. Hayyan Haidar, Lebanon, “Towards a National Coalition for FOA in Lebanon”

19:00 Transfer from hotel for a joint dinner at the “Nile Maxime”

Participants are kindly requested to gather at the hotel lobby no later than 19:00!

Third Day: 12.02.2010

VENUE: SHEPHEARD HOTEL, CAIRO

9:00 – 10:30 Sixth Session

Quo Vadis? A Plan of Action for the Arab Council for Freedom of Association

(Session moderated by: Dr. Azmi Shuaibi)

Panellists:

• Dr. Iyad Barghouti, President, Ramallah Centre for Human Rights, Ramallah - Palestine (Al-Tasamoh Network Experience)
• Mrs. Fifi Kallab, head of local NGO Byblos Ecologia, Beirut – Lebanon
• Mrs. Nadia Ait Zai, Centre d’Information et de Documentation sur les Droits de l’Enfant et de la Femme, Algeria

10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 – 12:30 Working groups: strategies and approaches

6 working groups:

1. Strengthening dialogue between governments and CSOs on FOA

Facilitator: H.E. Ali Khashan, Ramallah - Palestine

1. Promoting the codes of conduct nationally and regionally

Facilitator: Mr. Danny Haddad, Lebanese Transparency Association, Beirut –

Lebanon

1. Strengthening local, regional and international cooperation

Facilitator: Dr. Azmi al-Shuaibi, Ramallah, Palestine

1. Drafting a cooperation proposal between the ACFA and LAS

Facilitator: Mr. Farouq al-Amad, Civil Society Commission, Amman - Jordan

1. Drafting a lobbying and advocacy plan for ACFA

Facilitator: Mrs. Mervat Rishmawi

1. Strategies to strengthen FOA in countries under transition

Facilitator: Mrs. Amal Yazaji, Syrian Women’s League, Damascus – Syria

12:30 – 13:30 Presentation of results by facilitators of each working group

13:30 – 14:00 Concluding Remarks

- Mr. Ralf Erbel, Resident Representative in Jordan and for Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty

- Mrs. Ubab Murad, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty (FNF), Project Manager, FNF-EU co-financed project on Freedom of Association in the Arab World

14:00 Concluding Lunch at the hotel

Departure of participants as of 15:00

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