Senior members of the Network of Arab Liberals (NAL) participated in a workshop entitled "Political Communications in the Arab World. Strategies and Policies of Liberal parties" in Beirut (Lebanon) from March 27 to 31, 2008. This activity aimed at discussing the political, socio-economic and also legal ramifications of political communications in the member states. In their meeting the delegates also discussed the communications strategies of the member organizations. The workshop also dealt with the communicative needs and related strategies of the NAL. The delegates agreed to enhance the newly established website and engage in social networking through the Internet.

Mr. Alex Folkes, campaign manager of the British political party Liberal Democrats, presented best practices of political communications and election campaigning in the United Kingdom. Also, Mr. Mohamed Ouzzine from the Moroccan Mouvement Populaire (MP) presented his party’s recent electoral campaign.

On the first day of the Beirut meeting, the delegates discussed internal organizational matters in a follow-up to the Strategic Planning workshop held in November 2007 in Egypt. During their debates, the delegates agreed on the bylaws of the Network which include regulations on membership, the structure of the leadership and financial matters. The final draft of the bylaws is to be formally adopted by the General Assembly of the Network to be held later in the year. The General Assembly will also be tasked to decide on the location of the Secretariat of the Network which is provisionally in Cairo.

Finally, the delegates discussed upcoming activities. These will include a study tour to Brussels and Berlin for the leadership of the member parties and organizations slated for late April in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty. Furthermore, leaders of the youth wings of the Arab liberal parties will participate in a training workshop in early May in Egypt and a workshop on women’s participation in Arab political parties is planned to be held later in the year in Tunisia in cooperation with the Parti Social Liberal.

Pictures of Beirut workshop