Regional conference on democratic changes concluded [Archives:2005/879/Front Page]

Hassan Al-Zaidi
SANA'A- Sept. 20- Functions of the first regional conference on the democratic changes and the role of civil community was concluded on Tuesday. The event involved over eighty participants representing civil community organizations from Yemen and different Arab and non-Arab countries.

The event was organized by the Italian “No Peace without Justice Organization”, the Human Rights Information and Training Center (HRITC) and the Turkish Foundation for Economic and Social Studies.

The conference was held as part of the efforts exerted by the Democratic Development Dialogue Group with the main objective of promoting dialogue between governments and civil community organizations, as well as between parliaments and governments in the Middle East and North Africa.

The conference came up with several suggestions and recommendations that laid more emphasis on the establishment of an Arab Forum in support for the Democratic Dialogue Program.

The conference recommended that members of the forum should make national mechanisms available for dialogue with governments and parliaments for the sake of enhancing the democratic changes and reforming the national forums.

Participants viewed dialogue in general as a strategic and civil necessity and all the civil community organizations are found to pursue their job on the base of the available facilities in compliance with the law. They insisted on governments to be involved in the process of reform and change in order to avoid estrangement that may lead to violence, and urged them to respect the independence of civil community organizations.

People that took part in the conference believed that the political reform with its comprehensive concept tops the issues of dialogue and partnership with governments. They laid more emphasis on reinforcing status of the law and the independence of judiciary, having a review of constitutions and legislations and fighting corruption to support freedoms, respect human rights and strengthen women's political power.
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