11 December 2004
Middle East Forum for the Future Produces Solid Initiatives
Leaders endorse projects for political, economic and educational reform
Rabat, Morocco -- The inaugural gathering of the Forum for the Future concluded December 11 with the participants calling for specific steps toward implementing various proposals aimed at creating greater economic development, political participation and educational opportunities in the broader Middle East and North Africa.
The summary statement called for the forum to provide "an informal, flexible, open and inclusive dialogue, devoted to strengthening democracy and the participation of civil society, to developing skills training, and to encouraging the growth of modern economies that generate wealth and that are well integrated into the global economy."
Foreign ministers and finance ministers of the countries in the region stretching from Morocco to Pakistan as well as from the countries of the G8 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia) met with business leaders and civil society representatives from the broader Middle East at the Forum gathering in Rabat.
The leaders discussed several reform and development initiatives brought forward by the countries of the region.
Turkey, Yemen and Italy proposed creation of a Democracy Assistance Dialogue to promote consolidation of democratic institutions in the region. The participants welcomed this initiative and affirmed their commitment to working with civil society representatives in their countries to create a solid foundation for democratic reforms.
The participants also called for a stronger regional commitment to education and the elimination of illiteracy. Algeria and Afghanistan offered to sponsor a literacy workshop in Algeria in early 2005. Jordan also offered to host a May 2005 meeting of the education ministers from the region to discuss literacy training, curricula upgrades and strategies to improve educational administration.
Both Morocco and Bahrain put forward plans to establish regional centers for entrepreneurial excellence. These institutions would provide business training aimed at creating a highly qualified cadre of young entrepreneurs and business professionals in the region.
Jordan and Japan presented a proposal to hold a workshop on vocational training in order to discuss strategies for equipping the region's workforce with the skills demanded by the global economy.
The participants endorsed ongoing economic reforms in the countries of the region and stated the need for continued progress in establishing free-trade areas.
Bahrain proposed creation of a regional Network of Funds to improve financial flows for socio-economic development. The Arab Monetary Fund will pursue this initiative in coordination with other financial institutions from the region and the G8 countries.
The participants welcomed creation of a region-specific private enterprise development fund at the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The fund is designed to provide technical support and financial assistance to small private enterprises in the broader Middle East and North Africa region. The participants set an initial funding goal of $100 million for the IFC facility. To date, various countries and the Islamic Development Bank have pledged a total of $60 million.
In an effort to extend financial opportunities to the economically disadvantaged, Jordan has offered to establish a Microfinance Training Center to work with nongovernmental organizations that engage in providing small loans to entrepreneurs who would not be able to obtain financial support from ordinary banks.
The government officials also endorsed the conclusions of the business dialogue group stating the need to establish higher standards of governance in the region, including greater transparency, respect for property rights, the rule of law and effective, independent judiciaries.
The leaders agreed to move forward with the proposed initiatives and will meet again at the second Forum for the Future meeting in Manama, Bahrain, in November 2005 to assess the progress that has been made. In the meantime, the majority of the group's foreign ministers will have another opportunity to discuss the implementation of reform and development plans at a March 2005 meeting of the G8 and Arab League ministers in Cairo.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said that even though the initiatives discussed were not necessarily a radical departure from previously existing bilateral and multilateral programs, the Forum for the Future "is way of bringing it all together and coming up with a solid plan of what the needs are for each of these countries." He added that in this way, the various efforts under way and the new initiatives being undertaken could feed into a "common agenda."
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
