28 October 2009
Clinton Will Attend Forum for the Future in Morocco
Washington — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will attend the sixth Forum for the Future in November in Morocco, a meeting that has become an important regional conference that brings together leading government officials from the Middle East and North Africa, representatives of the major advanced economies, and civil society and private sector leaders.
“It’s a unique partnership between governments of the region, the [Group of Eight], civil society representatives, and private sector leaders to discuss and exchange ideas on how best to work together to support progress and expand opportunities for the people of the region,” State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said October 21. It will be Clinton’s first Forum for the Future.
The forum is being held in Marrakesh, Morocco, November 2–3. Morocco and the United States hosted the first forum in Rabat, Morocco, five years ago.
The Forum for the Future, founded in 2004, is a joint initiative between the countries of the Middle East and North Africa and the G8 major industrialized economies. It provides an opportunity for officials from government, civil society and the private sector to discuss political and economic reforms aimed at promoting greater freedom, democracy and economic growth in the Middle East region. It was launched at the Sea Island, Georgia, G8 Summit in the United States.
This year’s forum is hosted jointly by the Kingdom of Morocco and Italy, which is president of the G8. This year’s G8 meeting was held in L’Aquila, Italy, July 8–10, and the host nation also acts in the capacity of president, setting the working agenda and hosting the often-intense two days of meetings. The G8 nations are Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States, though other European nations participate in the forum by providing funding for special programs and projects.
Two civil society groups, Organisation Marocaine des Droits Humains and No Peace Without Justice, are coordinating participation by civil society groups, the Moroccan government said.
