Network of Arab Liberals News

In Beirut, Young Leaders Set the Stage for Liberal Arab Youth Union

	Young leaders from liberal Arab political parties laid the ground for the establishment of a pan-Arab liberal youth organization at a regional workshop in Beirut/Lebanon from October 28.-31, 2008. Titled "Cooperation for Freedom: Creating a Liberal Arab Youth Network" the workshop brought together young liberal politicians and activists from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. The three-day event was sponsored by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty (FNF) in cooperation with the Network of Arab Liberals (NAL).
The participants of the workshop in Beirut
In a written statement presented at the workshop, NAL-President Mohamed Tamaldou expressed his support for the objectives of the activity. He also expressed his satisfaction that this event was held in Beirut, "the symbol of the challenge for freedom". In his welcoming remarks, NAL-Executive Board member Dr. Chamile Chamoun greeted the young delegates and also emphasized the importance of the project to set up a liberal Arab youth network. In a first step, the participants then discussed the ideological and political dimensions of cooperation among Arab liberal youth. In special sessions, they talked about the present economic crisis, the widespread political disenchantment with politics among the Arab youth and the repressive nature of most governments in the region. The delegates acknowledged that they have not yet reached a common understanding of what exactly the liberal response should be to the many challenges confronting the Arab youth today. They agreed to deal with this programmatic issue as a matter of priority once the network is formally established.
	The delegates also dealt with organizational matters related to the setting up of an international network. They agreed that the youth network which they tentatively titled Union of Liberal Arab Youth (ULAY) should be closely associated with the Network of Arab Liberals (NAL). Furthermore, the delegates agreed that the organization would be formally established at a General Assembly to be held in the region in early 2009. The organizational preparations for this event and the drafting of the statutes were delegated to a provisional Steering Committee with members representing political youth wings in Morocco, Egypt and Lebanon.
NAL-Executive Board member Dr. Chamile Chamoun with Tunisian delegates
In a special session, Frederik Ferie, vice president of the International Federation for Liberal Youth (IFLRY) gave an overview of liberal international and regional organizations. According to Mr. Ferie, IFLRY represents two million young liberals in all parts of the world. The Federation is interested in strengthening cooperation with liberal youth wings in the Arab world.