Arab Reform Initiative 2018 Annual Report Table of Contents 1 Letter from our Executive Director 2 2 2018 at a Glance 2 3 ARI’s Mission and Values 3 4 Our Strategic Plan in Action 3 5 Key International Events 4 6 Convening Stakeholders in Policy Dialogues 5 7 Pushing the Research Agenda Forward 6 8 Preparing Professionals for Post-Conflict Syria 8 9 Governance 9 10 Financial Statements 11 11 List of Publications 11 Letter from our Executive Director We remain committed as ever to our mission: to lead 1 the process of democratic transition. International conferences, policy dialogues, and multiple publication increasing the role of women in peacebuilding processes, promoting series… 2018 was among the busiest years ever at the Arab Reform cyberspace as a new domain of autonomy and active citizenship, and Initiative, marking the end of one work cycle and acting as a bridge to our exploring social mobilization around the environment as new entry points next four years of work. Over the course of the year, we defended and grew for civic engagement to challenge governance systems. We also adopted our community of democrats within ARI’s consortium. We continued to in 2018 the objective to nurture an ecosystem of like-minded institutions draw on our vast network of partners based in the region to provide insight across the Arab world. These new strategic lines all fulfill ARI’s role as on issues as they develop and as they are experienced by societies and a regional hub of expertise and exchange but also our ability to develop local communities. And we maintained as ever our independent analysis, ground-breaking activities that respond innovatively to the evolving providing an institutional home and international platform for scholars challenges of the region. and activists of the Arab world as the space for freedom of expression continues to shrink. Beyond our research and programming, 2018 saw us set up an editorial committee to guarantee the highest scientific quality of our policy papers, ARI’s impact in 2018 can be seen in the individuals and institutions and define a new communications strategy, including the development of we empowered to formulate their own policy solutions and build new new audio-visual tools for disseminating research results and increased coalitions for change. Through research and workshops with youth and visibility on social media. human rights activists across the region, we defined new strategies for achieving political change. Through our work on the Syrian diaspora, we Thanks to this year of work, ARI starts 2019 with new tools and launched a new initiative to leverage its assets to serve the reconstruction stakeholders, new programs and methods. But we remain committed of the country. We trained hundreds of young professionals in skills as ever to our mission: to lead the process of democratic transition by related to post-conflict governance and transition through our one-of-a- harnessing the Arab region’s knowledge and know-how to articulate a kind Tahdir e-learning program. And we contributed to the rehabilitation homegrown agenda for change. of the Syrian judiciary through the development of an online legal forum. 2018 also saw us lay the foundations for new programming lines, including Bassma Kodmani 2 2018 at a Glance n 43 reports, policy papers, and research papers published, covering 12 different Arab countries and the year’s most important trends and events n 3 international conferences addressing key issues related to conflict, security, and peacebuilding in the region n 4 policy dialogues with activists and political leaders n 2 international scientific meetings gathering academics from across Europe and the Arab world to present new analytical frameworks derived from ARI’s in-the-field comparative research n + 200 early-career professionals trained in theoretical and practical skills on topics ranging from security sector reform and the rule of law to urban planning and local governance n + 10000 Social media followers The Arab Reform Initiative is the leading independent Arab think tank, founded in 2005 to articulate a home-grown agenda for democratic change. We operate on the principles of impartiality, social justice, gender equality, and diversity and work to foster vibrant democratic societies in the Arab countries. ARI conducts research, policy analysis, and policy dialogues, while providing a platform for inspirational voices. n We produce original research informed by local experiences, and partner with institutions for outreach across the Arab countries as well as globally. n We empower individuals and institutions to develop their own concept of policy solutions, using the knowledge produced through action-research. 3ARI’s Mission n We engage diverse stakeholders from politics, society and the economy, in policy dialogues and in building coalitions for change. and Values Our goal is to see vibrant democratic societies emerge in the Arab countries. Our Strategic Plan in Action Since it was established, ARI has been at the forefront of research on social and political reform in the 4Arab world. As a preeminent research facility, ARI has been able to harness inside knowledge and provide a global platform for the dissemination of Arab-produced research. In so doing, we have brought to light social and political dynamics that are most often unknown or misunderstood outside the national or regional context and have also put forth policy-relevant outputs that have had significant, measurable impact on public debates in the Arab world and on policy choices of partner governments. ARI’s new cycle of work commenced in 2018, based around four overarching policy goals that guide our programming and research activities. We aim to: 11 Reconnect Shattered Societies, by opening spaces for informed dialogues between representatives of different communities to re-negotiate the state structures and define the governance mechanisms to manage inter-societal relations. 21 Rebuild Stability Frameworks, by contributing to the reconstruction of stability in conflict- ridden countries, including short-term security arrangements, institutions, and practices in deeply fragmented societies, all taken within a gender-mainstreaming perspective. To articulate these policy goals, ARI undertook 31 Advance New Forms of Engagement, by empowering civil society, non-traditional political in 2018 a wide range of research programs, actors, and like-minded institutions through identifying new practices and spaces of action-research projects, policy-oriented engagement and finding innovative means to leverage such efforts to build influence. activities, dialogues, and conferences along 41 Nurture the Technocrats of Tomorrow, by promoting a transfer of knowledge and skills to with the monthly publication of policy papers, young professionals to form a cadre of men and women in fields critical to the post-conflict private meetings with high level decision- phase, including the judiciary as well as local administration, sustainable development, makers, and public debates to contribute to and security sector reform. influencing public policies and discourse. Key International Events Every year, ARI hosts several international conferences on a variety of topics that demonstrate our unique ability to convene South-South and South-to-North exchanges. April 2018 5Leveraging the Syrian Diaspora At the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, ARI brought together a group of eminent Syrians in diaspora who agreed to form a network of like- minded individuals committed to contributing their resources for the purpose of building a democratic, inclusive, and independent Syria. The event, held with over 100 guests including Syrian and international NGOs, diplomats, and the press, also marked the launch of the Global Syria Initiative, an interactive forum designed to build solidarity among members of the Syrian diaspora and catalyze the diaspora’s contribution to the reconstruction of the country. The conference ended with a public call on the Syrian diaspora to contribute to rebuilding the country on the principles of intellectual pluralism, freedom of belief and social justice. June 2018 Building Frameworks for Security, Transition, and Inclusion November 2018 ARI convened in Tunis a group of 30 distinguished international speakers, Towards the Rule of Law in Syria senior representatives of international foundations, a selection of Over the course of three days, ARI brought together a group of Syrian government officials, and leading scholars to explore emerging regional and French legal experts and professionals to discuss a variety of issues security trends and discuss experiences in mediation and conflict related to legal reform in Syria and the rebuilding of the judicial sector in resolution in the region. The discussion focused on three broad topics: the post-conflict phase, including the civil code and property ownership, the transformation of Salafism at the regional level and the potential penal laws, constitutional guarantees, transitional justice, judicial and future impact on national stability frameworks; women’s roles in de- administrative reform, and security sector reform. The debates around radicalization and community rehabilitation in conflict areas and how these issues, and the blending of legal expertise from Syria and from these can be leveraged in peace processes and through constitutions; and France, allowed for a nuanced discussion culminating in the publication the current opportunities and constraints of