Launch Publication Beyond Orthodox Approaches

Assessing the Possibilities for Democracy Support

Within the framework of Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia, Hivos in collaboration with NIMD ad University of Amsterdam, will launch on 26 March 2010 the policy paper ‘Beyond Orthodox Approaches, Assessing Opportunities for Democratic Support in the Middle East and North Africa. The launch will take place at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

This publication aims to explore what role - if any - external organisations, such as Hivos and NIMD, can play to further democratisation in the region. The authors of this policy paper have examined and reflected upon the programmatic opportunities and potential obstacles for engaging in and with the region. By increasing their knowledge of the political landscapes of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and by focusing on potential windows of opportunities or the closings thereof - where increased authoritarianism prohibits possibilities for assistance – Hivos and NIMD hope to improve their understanding of the dynamics in the region and what could potentially constitute vital building blocks for a programme in the region. Hivos and NIMD are fully aware that the political systems in the region provide challenges for democracy support. Research on possible methodologies that focus on levelling the playing field in uncongenial authoritarian settings are therefore essential. NIMD works predominantly in young democracies and fragile states that require different programmatic approaches than when working in the political setting of the Middle East and North Africa. Hivos, in contrast, does work in authoritarian and semi-authoritarian settings and is searching for ways to circumvent programmatic constraints, in addition to deepening its knowledge of the political systems in the region.

Hivos and NIMD want to maximise their complementarities of expertise by pooling resources: experience and research into democracy support. Hivos and NIMD would subsequently like to assess the possibilities for joint programmatic approaches. Hivos and NIMD feel that it is imperative to learn from one another. They believe that civil and political society can be regarded as two sides of a tunnel, interlinked – and especially in the MENA region – frequently merged in one single organisation. Understanding both types of societies as well as the relationship between them is essential for fostering democratisation processes in the region.

If you are interested in attending this event, please send an email to Kawa Hassan at khassan@hivos.nl.