BMENA 5th "Forum for the Future" Sub-Ministerial and Civil Society Joint Meetings conclude today

The forum commenced yesterday with opening statements from HE Dr. Tareq Ahmed Al Heidan, Assistant Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the UAE Foreign Ministry and co-chair Mr. Shinsuke Sugiyama, Deputy Director General for Middle East at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan.

Over 150 participants attended including official delegates from the countries of G8, Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) and other regions, as well as civil society organizations from those regions including a number of associations from the UAE.

Officials re-convened on the second day to discuss the logistical arrangements and agenda for the upcoming ministerial meeting in Abu Dhabi, October 2008.

The joint meeting spanned four sessions and covered the themes of political reform, sustainable development, and the importance of cooperation between governments, civil society and the private sector as well as a review of the G8-BMENA initiatives.

Participants held frank and fruitful discussions with civil society representatives engaging actively with government officials, outlining their concerns and emphasizing the importance of civil society partnership with government.

Political reform, freedom of expression and women's empowerment were among the main themes highlighted during the first part of the day, followed by active discussions on educational reform, environmental issues, renewable energy, the global food crisis and the importance of humanitarian and development aid during the latter part of the day.

UAE Foreign Ministry Assistant Undersecretary, Dr. Tarik Heidan stated: "The UAE is pleased by the promising and lively discussions generated by this forum and thanks the delegations and civil society participants for their frankness and active engagement. The UAE, in collaboration with Japan, have hosted this forum because of our commitment to cooperation and collaboration between our governments and civil society organizations. During the last two days of discussion we have laid the foundation for a successful outcome in the upcoming ministerial meeting of October 2008, in Abu Dhabi."

The BMENA partnership was proposed and agreed upon at the Arab Summit in Tunisia and launched at the meeting of the G8 Sea Island Summit in June 2004.

The purpose of the partnership was to support the BMENA countries' efforts for reform in the political, economic and social fields.

Since then, various initiatives have been taken by G8 and BMENA countries with the cooperation of other partner countries and international institutions.

The 5th "Forum for the Future" Ministerial meeting this year will be held on 18th and 19th October in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates under the co-chairmanship of Japan. The parallel civil society meeting will be held on the 15th-17th October in Dubai.