Report on the NAL workshops in Cairo

(The report is available in English only)

Date : 30 October – 3 November, 2009

Participants: Ms. Nisreen Shahin, executive manager at Portland Trust-Palestine and Mr. Hazem Kawasmi, founding member of the Freedom Forum Palestine (FFP) and chairman of Young Entrepreneurs Palestine (YEP

We were pleased to participate in such important events that were held in Cairo by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty (FNF) and in co-operation with the Network of Arab Liberals (NAL) and other partners at the time of the 56. Congress of Liberal International.

Intensive events that attracted many Arab Liberals and was a great opportunity for exchanging knowledge and experiences between participants about their liberal parties in their countries, political and economical challenges, future political scenarios that might affect the Middle East and the role of liberalism in this context.

The first day of the program was a half day international workshop titled “Networking for Freedom”. From Regional Cooperation to Global Alliances” where various international liberal networks were represented and engaged in an exchange of experiences and best practices.

The more interactive and important part of the program was the workshop of the Network of Arab Liberals (NAL) titled “Freedom of Expression in the Arab World: The Media, the State and Political Parties” during this workshop all member parties provided presentations about their own media tools , what ways and means they use and how effective they are. This was followed by a working group that discussed and prepared written presentations about:

- Legal framework: Do the media laws in the Arab world comply with liberal principles and what would need to be done to improve them should this be deemed necessary?

- Media reality: An overview of the media reality in the Arab world and government policies vis-à-vis the conventional media and citizens’ journalism

- New technologies and freedom of expression: Satellite television, the Internet and Web 2.0 and their impact on the freedom of expression and the media

- Liberal political parties and the media: What can the liberal political parties and NAL do to promote the freedom of expression in the Arab world?

The working groups had a very active and productive discussion about these issues in the frame of the liberal principles, and presented very informative presentations.

On the evening of that same day, FNF organized the launching of the book “Liberalism in the Arab world Views and Perspectives of Political Practitioners”.

After the meeting of the Executive Committee of NAL that was held on the 2^nd of November,the members of the Network came together for their annual General Assembly, the most important gathering of the organization . In this meeting that was facilitated by President Mohammad Tamaldou, the literature and financial reports were presented , discussed and approved, a political report was also presented by one of the executive committee members that shed the light on the most important political and economical challenges that will face the region. For more information please visit www.arab-liberals.net