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Members of the Youth Shadow Government project in Lebanon meet to debate key issues.

Youth Stepping out of the Shadows

When Lebanon’s Minister of Economy and Trade Sami Haddad launched a new consumer protection campaign during a public address last month in Beirut, he may have felt one pair of eyes in the audience watching him particularly closely.

And he’s not alone.  These days, each of Lebanon’s ministers has a university student acting like a shadow, closely monitoring his or her decisions as part of the MEPI-funded “Youth Shadow Government” (YSG) project now in its second year in the country.  Created and run by the Nahar Ashabab Foundation, YSG lets students experience democracy in action while promoting transparency and good governance.Shadow ministers follow political developments, debate alternate options for the decisions made by real ministers, and explain the process both to their university colleagues and to the general public. (read more)

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Citizen Diplomacy: One Woman Shares Her Experiences

A participant in the MEPI-funded conference on “Women and Political Reform in the Middle East and North Africa” gives a first-person account of the groundbreaking developments that have taken place in Saudi Arabia and throughout the region over the last several years.

SVF Working toward Justice for Palestinian Women

Last month, during a conference of some 200 people held on International Women’s Day, a Gaza-based NGO received consensus support for its draft legislation criminalizing honor killings and violence against women.

Democracy Matters: Essential Rights and Responsibilities

This continuing series examines the fundamental relationship between the citizen and the state inherent in all true democracies, which includes such inalienable rights as freedom of speech, of religion, and of association.

Global Gender Gap: Middle East & North Africa Slipping Behind

Four Nordic countries, Sweden (1), Norway (2), Finland (3) and Iceland (4) once again top the latest Gender Gap Index released today by the World Economic Forum.  The 2007 Rankings cover 128 countries.

Monitoring the Media: Arab, Western Reports Draw Similar Findings

Last month the Amman Center for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS) published its third annual report on the State of Press Freedom in the Arab World, which was significant not only for its comprehensive analysis but also because it tracks closely with the results of other international reports reviewing media freedoms in the region. 

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Reports: "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices"

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