Présentation, histoire et objectifs:
Arab Forum for Alternatives (AFA) is an organization that works for a society in which democratic culture prevails, for a society capable of protecting it’s rights and defending such rights through a democratic movem
ent built on a scientific grounds which safeguard the concept itself from being abused. This is done through participating in the development of the concept of democracy, by working to preserve its autonomy and universality; AFA will work to provide an academic basis for the concepts of democracy, civil society and human rights at both the institutional and community based levels within the Arab region, in order to be capable of responding to the Arab region’s reality and needs.
AFA is registered as a limited liability company, under Registration No. 26185. It is composed of experts, activists and researchers from within the field of civil society who are concerned with both the academic and practical aspects of the concept. Its founders believe in the necessity of integrating both aspects in order to enhance and develop the culture of democracy and its practices in Arab region.
Our Principals:
- Using the scientific methodologies.
- Committed to the universality of the democratic concept.
- Adopting the international covenants as the main reference.
- Autonomy and message pursuance.
- Internal transparency and democracy.
- Cooperating and Networking with existing institutions.
- Related to the society’s affairs and issues.
Our Standards:
- Institutional bases of work
- Large Regional and global contacts
- Adequate academic and activism experiences
- Open up to the Other
- Political multilateralism and independence
- Active and young working team
- Working on scientific bases
Objectives:
- Linking between both academic and the Activist dimensions of civil society and its related concepts
- Linking civil society work with the communities, and establishing accountability value
- Developing mechanisms to network with international institutions working on and for democracy
- Building the civil society organizations and movements’ capacities and institutional capacities
Strategies:
- Developing civil work methods both scientifically (academically) and practically (related to the reality of civil society and human rights condition): •Developing scientific research in the field
- Promoting translation in the field
- Elaborating a human rights-based methodology of work for different civil sectors, that responds to their reality and needs
- Using various civil work approaches with simplifying its content to deliver the message to a wide range of social segments
- Enhancing institutions and cadres in terms of information and skills the Arab region’s to enable them to develop and promote for democratic culture
- Widening the circle of cadres interested in democracy in its both levels academic and practical
- Promoting a human rights-based approach in different civil sectors.
- Facilitating Networking between Civil Society, academic institutions, and media and cultural independent organizations
- Adopting structured methods in networking
- Support networking locally, regionally and internationally
- Exchanging experiences to globalize, enhance and promote for the concept of democracy
