Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2006

Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
April 5, 2007
Near East and North Africa: Tunisia

"The Lebanese people are determined to build a strong state: a state which can reclaim the position of Lebanon as a haven of moderation, where tolerance and enlightenment triumph over fanaticism, ignorance and oppression; where individual initiative and potential can be fulfilled; a state that rekindles the beacon of freedom and democracy in Lebanon where justice and the rule of law prevail."

Fouad Siniora, Prime Minister of Lebanon

Despite sobering challenges in the Middle East and North Africa, citizens, civil society organizations and some governments continued to call for greater personal and political freedoms.

Beyond elections and more open political processes in countries like Kuwait and Morocco, civil society groups are mobilizing throughout the region as never before, women are becoming more aware of and acting upon their rights, and there is increased discussion of reform.

The yearly Forum for the Future has become the centerpiece of the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) Initiative, which brings the G8 and European nations together with governments, businesses, and civil society organizations of the region to strengthen democracy and prosperity. The U.S. has continued to provide targeted financial and sustained diplomatic support to this multilateral initiative.

The 2006 Forum witnessed unprecedented participation of civil society organizations, including nearly 50 civil society leaders representing hundreds of NGOs from 16 countries in the BMENA region. Secretary Rice's attendance at the Forum underscored the United States' deep commitment to advancing reform in the region. Civil society organizations and their respective governments made presentations on the progress of initiatives relating to the rule of law, transparency, women's and youth empowerment, and the legal environment for non-governmental organizations. The Foundation for the Future, which was announced at the 2005 Forum, organized a board of directors that has highlighted the rule of law, independent media, women's empowerment, and civic education as program priorities and will begin issuing grants directly to civil society organizations this winter.

In many areas of the Middle East, specifically among the Arab Gulf states, women have been able to exercise greater political rights than ever before, with several notable ‘firsts’ taking place in 2006. Kuwaiti women now have greater political rights and ran for office and voted for their parliament for the first time this past fall. In 2006 the United Arab Emirates held its first ever elections for half the Federal National Council seats and elected a woman to the Council. Eight additional women were appointed bringing the total female participation in the Council to approximately 22%. Women also played an active part in the political process in Bahrain, participating as candidates and voters in parliamentary elections.

As President Bush said in his 2007 State of the Union Address, "Our goal is a democratic Iraq that upholds the rule of law, respects the rights of its people, provides them security, and is an ally in the war on terror." In working toward this end, in 2006 the United States supported programming which strengthens democratically oriented political parties and provides leadership and advocacy training to Iraqi women, thereby equipping women to more fully participate in the political process. Another U.S. program in Iraq worked toward the development of a vibrant civil society by providing human rights education and helping to develop human rights NGOs.

The United States utilizes a variety of tools to promote and support democracy and human rights across the region. Our work ranged from educating and training Egyptian women on how to obtain ID cards and then register to vote so that they could participate in a democratic electoral process, to helping establish community centers in rural Jordan for women to learn advocacy skills, mobilization techniques, and methods for identifying community needs. U.S. funded programming includes strengthening the rule of law, helping improve women’s political participation, supporting reconciliation of atrocities and missing persons, strengthening independent media, developing anti-corruption programs, and supporting labor and union organizing.

In addition, we consistently stand in solidarity with, and advocate on behalf of, human rights activists, the indigenous voices for reform across the region who are detained or harassed for defending those rights in all countries in the region, be it Iran and Syria or Egypt and Tunisia. The United States defends the rights of individuals who have been banned from travel for championing human rights and reform within their country, and for individuals who seek to end abuses against minorities. We also defend those who desire to exercise their freedom of belief and worship according to the dictates of their conscience.
The United States uses its bilateral and multilateral relationships to promote democracy and human rights throughout the region, including working to advance United Nations (UN) and other international resolutions supporting the struggle for human rights. For the fourth year in a row, the United States co-sponsored and actively supported a resolution that passed in the UN General Assembly’s 61st Plenary condemning the human rights situation in Iran.

The United States promotes religious freedom and advocates for tolerance in the Middle East and North Africa. Egypt's failure to redress longstanding legal discrimination against Copts – the region's largest Christian minority – and refusal to grant Baha'is valid identity documents continue to raise concern. As a result of bilateral discussions in 2006, the Government of Saudi Arabia confirmed its policies on religious practice and tolerance, including halting the dissemination of intolerant literature and extremist ideology, both within Saudi Arabia and around the world. The U.S.-Saudi Strategic Dialogue Working Group seeks to promote mutual understanding between the United States and Saudi Arabia by addressing issues of bilateral concern and increasing exchanges between the two countries. Along with the international community, the United States continues to advocate for greater religious freedom for all religious groups in Iran. Significant challenges remain as both Saudi Arabia and Iran were designated Countries of Particular Concern for continued severe violations of religious freedom.

The United States actively promotes labor rights in the context of free trade agreements in the Middle East. Pursuant to free trade negotiations with the United States, in 2006 Oman passed a number of far-reaching reforms to its 2003 Labor Law. Under the reforms, workers now are allowed to organize unions, conduct peaceful strikes, and engage in collective bargaining – freedoms that were unimaginable just one year earlier. In the same context, Bahrain is in the process of modifying its sponsorship system to make it easier for workers to move legally from one employer to another, which in turn will encourage employers to improve working conditions. Bahrain banned retaliatory dismissal of employees for trade union activities and is revising its labor code to conform to International Labor Organization standards. In addition to new antitrafficking legislation, the United Arab Emirates worked to rescue, rehabilitate, and repatriate more than 1,000 children who had worked as camel jockeys, with the last known case of a child being used as a jockey occurring in March 2005….