UAE to host parallel meetings of Forum for the Future

Around 180 representatives of civil society organizations from the countries of the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) region, including the UAE, the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialised nations and other international partners will take part in the various workshops and sessions.

The event serves as a platform to promote and develop political, economic and social reform in the region, give regional businesses and civil society groups the arena to express their goals and ideas on the key developments impacting the region, as well as define a collective agenda and common platform for progress.

Sixty representatives will take part in the senior officials' meeting and the Ministerial meeting of the Forum in Abu Dhabi, which will discuss recommendations with government officials.

In June, Dubai hosted the preparatory meetings of the Forum with 150 representatives from civil societies and governments participating in the discussions.

The meetings were co-chaired by the UAE and Japan, which currently holds the G-8 presidency, and presided by Dr Tareq Ahmed Al Heidan, Assistant Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Shinsuke Sugiyama, Deputy Director-General for Middle East at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan.

The joint meeting spanned four sessions and covered diverse themes, including political reforms, sustainable development and importance of cooperation between governments, civil societies 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 emphasising the importance of civil societies' partnership with governments.

Among the topics discussed were political reform, freedom of expression and women's empowerment, followed by active discussions on educational reforms, environmental issues, renewable energy sources, global food crisis and importance of humanitarian and development aid.

The Forum for the Future was created at the June 2004 Summit between G8 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia) and BMENA representatives.