The Forum for the Future started today in Marrakech at the Conference Centre of Palmeraie Golf Palace. This forum is is a joint initiative of the countries of the Broader Middle East and North Africa region (BMENA) and the industrialized countries of the Group of Eight (G8).

The organizers descibe it as a « unique partnership between governments of the region, the G8, civil-society representatives and private-sector leaders to discuss and exchange ideas on how to best work together to support progress and expand opportunities for the people of the region. »

The Forum for the Future was launched at the Sea Island G8 Summit in the United States in June, 2004.  During this summit, the G8 countries stressed their commitment to « promote progress in the BMENA region and to help establish an environment conducive to an informal, flexible, open and inclusive dialogue ».  The first Forum for the Future was held in Rabat in December 2004, co-hosted by Morocco and the United States.

In preparation for the 2009 ministerial, co-chairs Morocco and Italy along with civil society partners convened three preparatory workshops across the region on:

• Economic reform held on September 26th-27th at Beirut, Lebanon, in partnership with the Organization  for Civil Activities;

• Political reform held on October 5th-6th at Rabat, Morocco, in partnership with the Moroccan Organization for Human Rights;

• Human development held on October 12th-13th at Doha, Qatar, in partnership with the National Human Rights Committee and the Arab Democracy Foundation.

According to the fact sheet delivered for this event: « The BMENA Initiative complements the objectives outlined by President Obama in his Cairo speech and is a natural partner for making progress in key areas – notably economic opportunity, education, good governance, human rights, and women’s empowerment ».  The fact sheet continues: « BMENA’s emphasis on cooperation among governments, civil society and the private sector aligns with the President’s vision of partnership between the United States and countries in the region.  The United States will engage with leaders from the region on issues of common interest and shared values, working together to infuse new energy into the partnership.  In particular, we believe our focus should be firmly on developing a path to increasing opportunity for the youth of the region ».

The Broader Middle East and North Africa participants include Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen.

The G8 countries include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.