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Tripoli, 11 November 2013:
Political figures from across North Africa, including Libya, as well as from the UK will be . . .[restrict]meeting in the Tunisia town of Hammamet on Wednesday for a five-day conference organized by the British Council to look at political challenges in the region. Under discussion will be
- Trust and accountability between citizens and leaders;
- Difference, diversity and dialogue;
- Active citizenship;
- Reform of the education system, skills and entrepreneurship;
- Arts, culture and innovation.
The conference will be co-chaired by Atia Lawgali, who chairs Libya’s National Commission on Civic Education, and the UK’s Lord Lothian, better known as Michael Ancram, who served in its last Conservative government as Peace Process Minister in Northern Ireland.
This will be the second Hammamet Conference. The aim of the British Council initiative is to bring together leading figures from politics, civil society, academia, the media, business and the arts from North Africa and the UK.
Last year’s conference is said to have made a significant contribution to fostering greater trust and understanding between senior leaders in all of the participating countries. In addition, the British Council has been using the outcomes of the policy discussions to further develop its programmes in the region such as Young Arab Voices, and Young Arab Analysts Network International (YAANI). It has also worked with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations to launch a new Young Leader’s Exchange programme between the UK and the North African countries.
“The conference series has become the flagship event for building relationships and understanding between the UK and the countries of North Africa,” said Nigel Bellingham, the British Council’s director in Tunisia and head of the team organising the conference. “It was an honour to host the conference last year and I look forward to warmly welcoming this year’s delegates, new and returning, to Hammamet.”
Anyone can participate by joining the conversation on the conference’s Twitter and Facebook accounts and look out for blog posts on the British Council’s Voices blog from participants past and present.
Atia Lawgali has served as Deputy Minister of Culture and Civil Society in the last transitional government. During the revolution, he was a member of the executive office of the National Transitional Council.
Lord Lothian is a member of the UK’s House of Lords. He is the first Chair of the Global Strategy Forum. He has also held the portfolios of Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Foreign Secretary, Shadow Defence Secretary and Chairman of the Conservative Party. [/restrict]
