Democracy in the Arab World : Challenges, Achievements and Prospects

Since its foundation in 1995 by states from different parts of the world, International IDEA (the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) has been working towards assisting democracy world-wide.

The Institute's main objective is to promote and facilitate national and international dialogue, enhancing and strengthening democratic development.

After a series of exploratory missions to various parts of the Arab Region, in 1999 International IDEA organised a round table gathering together experts from six Arab countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Yemen.

The objective of the round table was to analyse the perspective on democratic development in the Arab region, and to identify challenges facing such development on the eve of the twenty-first century.

The round table provided International IDEA with guidance for its comprehensive framework of programmes in the Arab region.

This report is a summary of the round table discussions.