International Workshop: 5th Forum for the Future

Parallel Civil Society Meetings within the 5th Forum for the Future were organized in Dubai between 15-18 October 2008. Civil society representatives from the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) region attended the meeting.

The civil society leg of the Forum was followed by Ministerial Meetings in Abu Dhabi attended by senior officials from the region. Global Political Trends Center (GPoT) was represented at different workshops within parallel meetings and at the Ministerial Meetings.

Later, 60 representatives from the parallel meetings took part in the senior officials’ meeting and the Ministerial meeting of Forum for the Future, held in Abu Dhabi on October 18-19, 2008. Sylvia Tiryaki, the Deputy Director of our center, also attended the meetings held in Abu Dhabi.

In June 2008, Dubai hosted the preparatory meetings of the Forum with representatives from civil societies and the governments. The preparatory meeting was co-chaired by the UAE and Japan. Over 150 participants took part in the meetings, which included official delegates from the countries of G8, BMENA and other regions, as well as civil society organizations.

The Forum for the Future was created at the June 2004 Summit between members of the G8 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia) and representatives of Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) region.