Gulf | Qatar

Arab democracy think-tank gets new chief

Qatar-based group supports reforms.

  • By Barbara Bibbo', Correspondent
  • Published: 01:24 March 7, 2008
  • Gulf News

Doha: Mohsin Marzouq, a former director of human rights organisations such as Freedom House and Kawakbi, is the new secretary general of the Arab Foundation for Democracy, a Doha-based think-tank promoting democratisation across the region.

"I am glad to take up the important and challenging position," Marzouq told reporters in a press conference yesterday.

The foundation was set up in May 2007 under the directives of Qatar's First Lady Shaikha Mouza Bint Nasser Al Misnad. It acts as an international organisation based in Qatar and tasked with supporting democratic reforms across the Arab world.

Aiding NGOs

The foundation has the scope of financing non governmental organisations whose activities focus on the promotion of democracy and institutional reforms, civil societies and human rights.

"We target and support intermediate actors, such as those 100,000 NGOs across the Arab world that work with civil societies to bring about democratic reforms in Arab States," Marzouq said, adding that the main task would be to provide NGOs with tools and capabilities to engage the Arab public into the democratic process.

World renowned figures like Joschka Fisher, former German foreign minister and vice-chancellor, Canada's former prime minister Kim Campbell, Emma Bonino, Italy's Minister of European Affairs and International Trade, Ali Fakhro, Bahrain's former minister of education, Sa'ad Eddin Ebrahim, chair of the Ibn Khaldun Centre Egypt, Sadiq Al Mahdi, former Sudanese prime minister, Hassan Al Ebrahim, chairman of the Kuwait Society for the Advancement of Arab Children, and other political leaders are members of the Foundation's board of directors.

Qatar donated $10 million (about Dh36.7 million) to get the foundation started, said sources close to the members.

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