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Overview |
The Doha Forum on Democracy and Political Reform
Qatar hosted the Middle East's latest gathering of democracy
advocates. More than 150 civil society activists,
professors, journalists, and political party members from
across the region met June 3-4,2004 in Doha for a conference
sponsored by Qatar University's Gulf Studies Center (The
First Doha Conference on Democracy and Reform). The
final statement, "The Doha Declaration for Democracy and
Reform," demands that all Arab countries adopt modern,
democratic constitutions; hold free, fair and regular
elections; place limits on executive power; guarantee
freedom of association and expression; permit the full
participation of women in political life; and end
extra-judicial procedures, emergency laws, and torture. It
also calls for the creation of a body to monitor Arab
governments' progress on reform and to track the fate of
other reform initiatives launched recently in Alexandria,
Beirut and Sanaa. Finally, the declaration states that
"hiding behind the necessity of resolving the Palestinian
question before implementing reform is obstructive and
unacceptable," a stance that the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad
bin Khalifa Al Thani, also expressed in his opening speech
to the conference.
This year the 2nd forum will be organized by (The
Conferences Organizing Committee – Ministry Of Foreign Affairs) and
(National Human Rights Committee), It is expected that More than
450 civil society activists, professors, journalists, and
political party members from across the region will attend
the 2nd Forum from 27 to 29 May 2007.
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