The Lutfia Rabbani Foundation participated in the Shiraka Conference in The Hague on April 16th organised by the Middle East and North Africa Department (DAM) of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The aim of the conference was to discuss support to democratization and rule of law, as well as enhancing the economic perspective in countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), topics on which the Shiraka programme focuses. Shiraka, a Netherlands-MENA Partnership launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is a Dutch bilateral effort that supports sustainable democratic transition in the MENA region. Thus, the objective of the conference was to foster exchange of experience, discussion on sustainable transition in the MENA region and to connect the themes of the Shiraka programme with the broader Dutch involvement in MENA countries. Invited were experts interested in the Shiraka themes working in Dutch governmental and non-governmental organizations as well as employees from the Dutch embassies in MENA countries involved in the implementation of the programme. After a speech by the conference’s key note speaker, Mr. Stephen Grand, the Executive Director of the Middle East Strategy Task Force at Atlantic Council of the United States, a panel discussion dealt with the support to transition processes in the MENA region: which approach is effective and what are do’s and don’ts? The afternoon session was of special interest for the Lutfia Rabbani Foundation, as in-depth discussion took place in four thematic breakout sessions: democratization, economic perspective, citizenship, and education. The Lutfia Rabbani Foundation participated in the sessions on democratization, citizenship and education.
Find out more about the Shiraka programme here.
