Governance Working Group (EuroMeSCo, 2001-2003)
In 2001, PASSIA and the Berlin-based Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) agreed to cooperate within the EuroMeSCo work program as lead institutes for a working group on “Issues of Governance.” EuroMeSCo (the European-Mediterranean Study Commission) is a network of independent institutes and research centers, which deal with subjects related to security, foreign policy and international affairs. It functions both as a confidence-building measure and a provider of expertise in areas of relevance to the European-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) area. PASSIA was one of the founding members in February 1994. At the time of the project, EuroMeSCo was composed of 35 members and 8 observers from 27 EMP countries. Within the network, working groups are set up to conduct research on certain issues, the findings of which are regularly discussed in workshops organized and hosted by one of the member institutes.
The PASSIA-SWP working group was based on the notion that good governance - based on transparency, accountability, respect for minority rights, and absence of corruption – the rule of law, and an active civil society are for enhanced cooperation in the economic and political fields, but also central components in creating a basis for ensuring long-term stability in the EMP region. The project consisted of two main components – research and workshops – with contributions of researchers from various EMP countries broadly focusing on three topics: civil society, the role of institutions, and the rule of law.
As part of the research component the project aimed at analyzing and explaining why and how governance-related issues should be dealt with within the EMP context, how institutions (government agencies, civil society organizations and private sector) and people understand the processes of decision- and policy-making, how prevailing laws and policies effect their behavior, and how they participate in the process of policy formulation. As part of the research component also a database on experts and expertise in the field of ‘Governance’ from within the EMP (institutions and individuals) was established, which was made accessible to all members.
The workshop component consisted a series of coordinating meetings between the lead institutes (PASSIA and SWP) on project-related activities and four full-day workshops – in Ramallah, Jerusalem, Amman, Dublin and Berlin - in which research papers and other relevant issues related to civil society and governance were discussed, recommendations were made and guiding principles for decision makers and other actors were developed. In detail, the workshop dealt with the following subjects:
Working Group Meetings
20-21 September 2001, Ramallah
Workshop 1:
The Dynamics of the Civil Society and the Political Regime
Participants: Dr. Volker Perthes, Ulrike Reinhardt and Muriel Asseburg from SWP; Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi, Deniz Altayli and Iyad Qadi from PASSIA; Dr. Salim Tamari, Director of Institute of Jerusalem Studies and a professor at Birzeit University; Dr. Rima Hamami, Professor at Birzeit University; Shu’a’ Murar, Project Coordinator, Coalition for Accountability and Integrity; Dr. Sa’id Zeedani, General Director of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens’ Rights; Dr. Nabil ‘Amro, Minister of PA Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; ‘Izzat Abdel Hadi, Director of Bisan Center for Research and Development; Jamal Shadid, PA Ministry of Labor; (the Moroccan, Irish and Swedish colleagues cancelled their attendance due to the deteriorating situation both in the territories and after the September 11 events).
Program:
Thursday, 20 September 2001
20:00 Opening Session & Welcoming Dinner
Friday, 21 September 2001
9:30-12:30 Panel Discussion - The Role of Civil Society in Promoting Democracy and the Rule of Law
12:30-13:30 Lunch Break
13:30-16:00 Panel Discussion - The Complementary Relationship between Civil Society and the State - Approaches and Prospects
In addition to the above program the 11 September attacks in New York and Washington, were discussed, and the repercussion these will have both in the Middle East and rest of the world. In particular, the discussion revolved over the expected impact on the Palestinian question and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
15-16 December 2001, Berlin, Germany
Workshop 2:
Civil Society and Good Governance in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership
Participants: Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi and Deniz Altayli from PASSIA; Dr. Volker Perthes, Ulrike Reinhardt and Muriel Asseburg from SWP; the SWP researchers Saloua Zerhouni, Isabelle Werenfels, Steffen Erdle, Rola El-Husseini, Ahmad Badawi. Nancy Vosmerbäumer; Fouad Ammor (GERM, Rabat); Niall Greene (Institute of European Affairs, Dublin); Anders Hellner (Swedish Institute for International Affairs, Stockholm); Dorothée Schmid (Institut d’Etudes Politiques, Paris).
Program:
Saturday, 15 December 2001
8:00 p.m. Welcoming Dinner, Berlin-Wilmersdorf
Sunday, 16 December 2001, SWP
9:30 Opening Remarks
Dr. Volker Perthes (SWP) and Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi (PASSIA)
Kick-off presentation: “Trouble-Maker or Crisis Messenger? The Problematic Partnership with Civil Society”
Dorothée Schmid (IEP Paris)
Draft paper “Civil Society Cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership – Between Theory and Practice”
Ulrike Reinhardt (SWP)
13.00 Work Lunch at SWP
14.00 Presentation of paper proposals
- “Corruption and Civil Society”
Dr Niall Greene (IEA, Dublin)
- “Good Governance and Parliamentary Elections in Morocco and Algeria”
Saloua Zerhouni/Isabelle Werenfels (SWP)
- “Social Governance in Times of Transition: The Cases of Egypt and Tunisia”
Gamal Abdelnasser/Steffen Erdle (SWP)
- “People to People Projects in Light of the Current Intifada”
(proposal by Dr Ghassan Andoni, presented by PASSIA)
16.30 Other business
- annual report
- next meetings
- future papers
31 May-2 June 2002, PASSIA, Jerusalem
Workshop 3:
The Changing Role of Civil Society Institutions
Organized by: PASSIA
Participants: Mahdi Abdul Hadi, Deniz Altayli and Fadi Hidmi from PASSIA, Jerusalem; Volker Perthes and Muriel Asseburg from SWP, Berlin; Niall Greene, Institute of European Affairs, Dublin; Anders Hellner, Program Director, Swedish Institute of International Affairs.
Program:
Friday, 21 May 2002
Arrival
20:00 Opening Session & Welcoming Dinner, Ambassador Hotel
Saturday, 1 June 2002
First Session:
9:30-11:00 People-to-People Programs – Peace-making or Normalization?
Presentation by Ghassan Andoni, Director, Palestinian Center for Rapprochement, Beit Sahour, and Discussion
11:00-11:15 Coffee Break
Second Session
11:15-12:45 Corruption and Civil Society
Presentation by Dr. Niall Greene, Dublin-Ireland, and Discussion
13.00-14:30 Lunch Break
Third Session
14:30-16:00 Implementing State Reforms and the Role of Civil Society
Presentation by Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi, Head of PASSIA, and Discussion
16 December 2002, Inter-Continental Hotel, Amman, Jordan
Workshop 4:
Civil Society Initiatives in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership Area
Organized by: PASSIA
Participants: HRH Prince Hassan, Royal Jordanian Court; Alvaro de Vasconcelos, Director, IEEI, Portugal; Mahdi Abdul Hadi, Head of PASSIA, Jerusalem; Muriel Asseburg, Research Associate, SWP, Berlin; Adnan Abu Odeh, retired Ambassador, Jordan; Nabih Shequem, Ambassador and Head of the European-American Department, Jordan; Samia Kabariti, Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EU desk; Ahmad Mango, Office of HRH Prince Hassan, Jordan; Niall Greene, Institute of European Affairs, Dublin; Anders Hellner, Program Director, Swedish Institute of International Affairs; Ingmar Karlsson, Swedish Consul General, Turkey; Fouad Ammor, Professor, Morocco; Mustafa Hamarneh, Director, Center for Strategic Studies, University of Jordan, Amman; Hassan Barari, Researcher, Center for Strategic Studies, University of Jordan, Amman; Elise Aghazarian, Project Coordinator, PASSIA; Musa Dweik, School of Law, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem; Hanlie Booysen, South African Representative, Ramallah; Ibrahim Othman, Professor, Jordan; Hani Hourani, Director of UJRC, Jordan; Abdul Malik Alhamar, Secretary General, Arab Thought Forum, Jordan; Jamil Nimri, Columnist, Jordan; Jamal Al-Tahat, Writer, Jordan; Akram Khatib, Journalist, Jordan.
Program:
9.30 Opening Session:
Introduction to EuroMeSCo
Presented by: Alvaro de Vasconcelos - Director, Institute of Strategic Studies & International Affairs. Lisbon, Portugal
Civil Society Initiatives in the Middle East
Presented by:
Mahdi Abdul Hadi - Head of PASSIA, Jerusalem
Hani Hourani - Director, Al-Urdun Al-Jadeed Research Center, Jordan.
15:00 Coffee Break
10.30 Session 1: Europe & Mediterranean Security
Presented by:
Alvaro de Vasconcelos - Director, Institute of Strategic Studies & International Affairs. Lisbon, Portugal
Dr. Hassan Barari - Center for Strategic Studies, University of Jordan, Amman
Discussion
11.45 Coffee Break
12.00 Session 2: Corruption & Civil Society
Presented by: Niall Greene - Institute of European Affairs, Dublin, Ireland.
Discussion
14.30 Lunch (Directors' Meeting - Working Plan 2003, etc.)
15.30 Session 3: Cooperation in the EMP area: Migration, Stability & Cultural Exchange Corruption & Civil Society
Presented by:
Ingmar Karlsson - Swedish Consul General in Istanbul
Anders Hellner - Swedish Institute of International Affairs
Discussion
16.45 Coffee Break
17.00 Session 4: Closing
Presented by: Alvaro de Vasconcelos - Director, Institute of Strategic Studies & International Affairs. Lisbon, Portugal.
23-24 May 2003, PASSIA, Ramallah
Workshop 5:
Civil Society and Private Sector
Organized by: SWP, Berlin & PASSIA, Jerusalem
Participants: Volker Perthes, Head of the Middle East and Africa Division, SWP, Berlin; Muriel Asseburg, Senior Researcher, Middle East and Africa Department, SWP Berlin; Bettina Huber, Research Associate and EuroMeSCo Coordinator, Middle East and Africa Department, SWP, Berlin; Mahdi Abdul Hadi, Head of PASSIA, Jerusalem; Deniz Altayli, Program Director, PASSIA, Jerusalem; Elise Aghazarian, Researcher, Coordinator of Governance Projects, PASSIA, Jerusalem; Anders Hellner, Program Director, Swedish Institute of International Affairs (SIIA), Sweden; Ulrich Wurzel, University of Applied Sciences (FHTW), Berlin; Iyad Masrouji, Managing Director, Masrouji Trading Company, Ramallah; Sam Bahour, Businessman and Writer, Al-Bireh; Hisham Awartani, Center for Private Sector Development, Nablus; Hassan Barari, Center for Strategic Studies (CSS), University of Jordan, Amman.
Program:
23 May 2003
Arrival
Welcoming Dinner, Ambassador Hotel
24 May 2003
9:30 – 10:30 Introduction & Opening
Volker Perthes, Director, SWP, Middle East Program, Berlin
Mahdi Abdul Hadi, Head of PASSIA, Jerusalem
10:30 - 11:00 Session 1:
Civil Society and Economic Development in the Southern Mediterranean - The Impact of Socio-Political Structures on Technological Modernization, Investment, Competitiveness and Economic Growth
Prof. Ulrich Wurzel, University of Applied Science (FHTW), Berlin
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee Break
11:30 - 12:30 Discussion
12:30 - 14:30 Lunch Break
14:30 - 15:00 Session 2:
The Palestinian Private Sector - Role and Relations within the Civil Society Context
Iyad Masrouji, Managing Director, Masrouji Trading Company, Ramallah, and Sam Bahour, Businessman and Writer, Ramallah
15:00 - 16:00 Discussion
16:00 - 16:30 Break
- – 18:00 Discussion with Palestinian Civil Society Activists about the Current Situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
19-20 September 2003, Institute of European Affairs, Europe House, Dublin
WORKSHOP 6:
Governance and Civil Society
Organized by: SWP, Berlin; PASSIA, Jerusalem, and the IEA, Dublin
Participant(s): Volker Perthes, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Berlin; Mahdi Abdul Hadi, PASSIA, Jerusalem, Palestine; Hijazi Natsheh, PASSIA, Jerusalem, Palestine; Niall Greene, Institute for European Affairs (IEA), Dublin; Muriel Asseburg, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP); Bettina Huber, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP); Salah Abdul Shafi, Gaza Community Mental Health Program, Gaza, Palestine; Salam Kawakibi, Institut Francais du Proche-Orient (IFPO) Aleppo, Syria; Hassan Barari, Center for Strategic Studies (CSS), University of Jordan, Amman.
Program:
19 September 2003
Arrival
Welcoming Dinner, Ambassador Hotel
20 September 2003
9:30 – 10:00 Opening
Niall Greene, Institute of European Affairs, Dublin
Volker Perthes, Director, SWP, Middle East Program, Berlin
Mahdi Abdul Hadi, Head of PASSIA, Jerusalem
10:00 - 12:00 Session 1: Governance, Civil Society & the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) in the Mashrek
The Role of Civil Society in the Emergence of a New Political Elite in Palestine
Salah Abdul Shafi, Gaza Community Mental Health Program, Gaza
L'émergence d'une société civile en Syrie et le partenariat euro-méditerranéen (The Emergence of Civil Society in Syria and the EMP)
Salam Kawakibi, Institut Francais du Proche-Orient (IFPO) Aleppo, Syria
12:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 15:30 Discussion
15:30-16:00 Coffee Break
16:00-17:00 Session 2: Summary of Working Group Work & Outlook
Governance and Civil Society in the EMP: An Outline of the Final Report
Bettina Huber, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Berlin
17:00-17:30 Closing Remarks