1 Place Tahar Haddad
Les berges du lac
1053 Tunis
Tunisia
- Democracy and community development
- Heritage
- International/Cultural relations
- Research
The Arab Policy Institute is guided by three main principles:
• Developing inclusive platforms for dialogue and action
• Providing thoughtful analysis on political and economic developments in Tunisia
• Supporting social enterprises and businesses
Harvard University Kennedy School Tunisia Visit (March 2017)
The API hosted a highly-attended evening discussion and reception with Alexandra Martinez, Assistant Dean for Student Diversity and Inclusion from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government (HKS). Assistant Dean Martinez presented her diversity work at HKS, the school's admissions process and the myriad opportunities offered by the Kennedy School to highly-qualified, mid-career professionals.
Afkar “Think and Action Tank” (April 2015)
Afkar (“ideas” in Arabic) is a “think and action tank” format which engages a critical mass of empowered stakeholders around a defined problem. The Afkar format, created by and launched in 2015, was created to develop effective and workable solutions, proposed by key actors in a defined subject area. The 2015 Afkar edition gathered 50 key stakeholders from government, civic, and international organizations to discuss the state of Tunisian civil society and its role in political processes, such as with decentralization and municipal elections. Attendees included Mondher Bousnina from the Office of the President of Government; Chafik Sarssar, President of the Instance Supérieure Indépendante des Elections; Salsabil Klibi and Chawki Gueddass from the Association Tunisienne de Droit Constitutionnel; Amine Ghali from the Kawakibi Center; and Mokhtar Hammami from the Tunisian Ministry of Interior.
Transition in Tunisia, Towards a New Citizenship (September 2012)
In September 2012, The Arab Policy Institute organized a conference titled “Transition in Tunisia: Towards a New Citizenship” in collaboration with the Moulay Hichem Foundation for Social Science Research on North Africa and Middle East. The conference, hosted on September 4-5, 2012 in Tunis focused on themes such as democratic transitions, the relationship between religion and politics, and the prospects for ensuring for basic human rights in post-revolution Tunisia. This conference was hosted at a particularly tense moment in Tunisia’s democratic transition following the election of the National Constituent Assembly and after several tense debates between secular and Islamist trends. Despite this, the conference included a frank, successful discussion between participants and Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Tunisian Islamist party, Ennahda.
The Arab World, From Revolution to Transformation (March 2013)
In March 2013, The API supported the Harvard Arab Alumni Association’s 8th Annual World Conference, “The Arab World: From Revolution to Transformation” hosted in Tunis, Tunisia. Co-organized with the the American Chamber of Commerce in Tunisia, this conference strove to initiate a debate and advance new visions for the development of the Arab world following the momentous events of the Arab Spring. The keynote was delivered by Mustapha Ben Jaafar, the President of the Tunisian National Constituent Assembly, which was charged with writing Tunisia’s 2014 Constitution.
This conference gathered a diverse range of speakers and participants from higher education, government, business, civil society, and journalism including Amel Bouchamaoui Hammami, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Tunisia; Jorge Domínguez, Harvard University Vice Provost for International Affairs; Nathalie Brown, Deputy Chief of Mission of the American Embassy in Tunis; Mo Ibrahim, Sudanese-British mobile communications entrepreneur and renowned philanthropist; Dirk Schmautzer, Partner, McKinsey & Company, Education and Government Transformation Practice; Cyril Grislain, Strategy Advisor in Tunis and former Managing Director of McKinsey’s Paris office; Raghida Dergham, Columnist and Senior Diplomatic Correspondent, Al Hayat; Dr. Hazem El Beblawi, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Egypt; Adel Goucha, Principal, The Abraaj Group; Aziz Mebarek, Founding Partner, TunInvest; Nakhle El Hage, Director, News and Current Affairs, Al Arabiya; Khaled Hroub, Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Media Studies, Northwestern University; Amira Yahyaoui, President, Al Bawsala; Taufiq Rahim, Executive Director, Globesight; Mohamed El Dahshan, Senior Research Fellow, Harvard University,Center for International Development; Said Ferjani, Senior Member, Political Bureau of Ennahda; Kamel Lazaar, Founder and Chairman, Swicorp; Dr. Tarik Yousef el-Magariaf, Chief Executive Officer of Silatech.
Harvard University Berkman Center: Mobilization for Change Series (March 2016)
“Mobilization for Change” is a series of reports examining the role of the networked public sphere in advancing civic participation and collective action in the Arab region. Published by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, the Arab Policy Institute contributed a paper titled “An Accelerated Story of the Emergence and Transformation of the Networked Public Sphere: The Case of Tunisia,” authored by Escander Nagazi, Jazem Halioui, and Fares Mabrouk. This paper maps the networked public sphere in Tunisia to better understand its impact in facilitating and promoting civic engagement and collective action in Tunisia.
The Association of Sejnane Potters (September 2012) is a project that aims to brings together these women potters to collaborate and professionally commercialize their pottery and other regional distinct handicrafts. The project was launched through the organization of a collective exhibition in Tunis, followed by a day of team building and professional development training.
TEDxCarthage (2010 and 2011)
In the spirit of “ideas worth spreading,” TEDx events feature inspiring doers from Tunisia and abroad to spark younger generations of Tunisians to challenge themselves and think differently. Since TEDxCarthage first brought this concept to Tunisia in 2010, there has been over 50 TEDx events held across Tunisia. TEDxCarthage is now an annual, highly anticipated event with an in-person audience of 2500 persons, free tickets selling out in under 30 seconds, and a team of dedicated volunteers that returns year after year. Past themes include Imagine History (March 2011); InTolerance (September 201); Trust as the New Currency (September 2013); TEDxCarthageWomen Spark (December 2013); The Differences We Make (April 2014); and Big Time (April 2015). The TEDxCarthage team has personally mentored several youth TEDx events, including TEDxESPRIT (university), TEDxENAU (university), TEDxSadikiCollege (high school), TEDxLPM8 (high school) and TEDxIHECCarthage (university).
The Arab Policy Institute has successful implemented several programs which facilitate crucial dialogue related to Tunisia's ongoing democratic transition. Our programs have helped to elevate and diffuse public discourse about pressing issues, such as the relationships between government and civil society, political pluralism, and civic engagement, to name a few. We also have a strong history of bringing together diverse stakeholders for honest exchange and of engaging and inspiring Tunisia's young people.
We also have a strong network within Tunisia and internationally that we draw on to enrich the quality and impact of our programs. Additionally, we have worked to adapt internationally successful programs, such as TEDxCarthage to a Tunisian context. If admitted to the Anna Lindh network, we would be able to connect the network to influential actors in academia, politics, diplomacy, entrepreneurship, and civil society from around the world. We are also skilled at convincing high value actors, such as the Global Diplomacy Lab, a program of the German Foreign Ministry, to come to Tunisia and implement their programs here.
Key to the API's mission and operations is working with partners to achieve our programs and to build a better Tunisia. By joining AFL, we hope to expand our networks to allow us to increase the quality and scope of our activities. On a regional level, we are hoping to expand our activities, such as Afkar, to have a more regional focus to address issues such as migration, diaspora, multiculturalism, and political pluralism. On a local level, we also hope to learn from, as well as contribute, to the growing and evolving civil society community in Tunisia.
Moreover, we'd like to work with like-minded actors that, like the API, are dedicated to facilitating constuctive dialogue, breaking down barriers between different types of people and actors, and support Tunisia's ongoing democratic transition.