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FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE (FFF)

The Foundation for the Future (FFF) is an independent, multi-lateral and non for profit foundation which is fully committed to supporting initiatives by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) aimed at promoting human rights, democratic governance, and reform in the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) region, while respecting the cultures and traditions of individual countries. The Foundation was created in 2005 and is based in Amman, Jordan. It is now supporting initiatives and projects in 19 countries in the BMENA.

Contents
1. History
Mission
Activities
Funding
Board of Directors
External links
Example

I. History

The Foundation for the Future was created in 2005 during the second meeting of the Forum for the Future (Bahrain 2005) held in Manama in response to calls by CSOs of the region to create a MENA-based mechanism for channeling technical and financial assistance. It is an autonomous institution which, although supported by the Forum, is independent from the Forum’s process.

The Foundation’s regional headquarters and main operational center are currently located in Amman and operate through an agreement signed in March 2008 with the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From Amman, it covers an expansive region which includes North Africa, the Levant, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, and reaches out to several countries of the region through national representatives.

Following up on the unfolding ‘Arab Spring’ events, FFF has been achieving a pioneering work in providing demand driven support to BMENA CSOs whose role became even more crucial in this complex transitional phase. With this perspective, FFF expanded its activities in March 2012 by setting up an office in Tunis to enhance the role of civil society in support of the political change underway. In the same perspective, FFF opened an office in Libya in April 2012.

The Foundation for the Future is in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations since 2011.

II. Mission

The main goals of the Foundation are to strengthen democracy, enhance grassroots participation, and enable the countries of the Middle East and North Africa to enjoy civil liberties and exercise their human rights as endorsed by international conventions and democratic norms and practices. An empowered civil society is essential to the process of building more just and sustainable societies throughout a region which is undergoing powerful political transformations

The foundation views civil society as a critical partner to initiate, accompany and monitor the progress of democratic governance and human rights. Civil society can voice and embody the requests of the citizens and people of the region. The foundation provides technical and financial assistance, and a conductive framework to nurture civil society initiative through demand-driven grant-making, action-oriented research and capacity building.

The Foundation focuses on supporting free, fair, and genuinely competitive elections, the rule of law, access to and transparency of information, freedom of association, independent media, and access to civic education, the empowerment of women, and human rights as included in the major international conventions and agreements.

III. Activities

The Foundation is committed to promoting and strengthening civil society initiatives in their efforts to foster democracy and human rights in BMENA. In order to achieve this, the Foundation provides CSOs in the region a support package consisting of the following:

Grant making

This program is the core activity of the Foundation. The Foundation provides financial and technical support to civil society organizations from the region through its Grants Program since 2007. With this program, the Foundation intends to help CSOs implementing relevant and innovative projects, specifically within the Foundation’s priority areas. For instance, the grantee Tamkeen for Legal Aid funded by the Foundation since early 2011 had successfully implemented its project to raise foreign workers’ awareness of their rights and the concept of human trafficking In Jordan. By early 2012, the Foundation received approximately 1000 applications under its Grants Program and has approved 166 projects in 14 countries of the BMENA. However, FFF’s work reached indirectly 5 others countries through grantee work.

List of grantees since inception

Afghanistan

Afghan Women’s Network – AWN

Algeria

Ligue de prévention et de la sauvegarde de la jeunesse et de l’enfance (Tizi Ouzu, Kabilie) - LPSJE
Ligue for the Protection of Youth and Children
Ligue algérienne pour la défense des droits de l’homme - LADDH
Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights
Centre d’information et de documentation sur les droits de l’enfant et de la femme - CIDDEF
Cultural Association M’barek Ait Menguelet; in collaboration with The Center for Information and Documentation on Child and Women Rights
Aide aux victimes Femmes et Enfants - AVIFE
Help to victims Women and Children
AFAK
Association culturelle d’Akbou
Cultural Star of Akbou

Bahrain

Bahrain Human Rights Society - BHRS
The Bahraini Transparency Association – BTA

Egypt

United Group – UG
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies - CIHRS
Arab Program Human Rights Activists - APRHA
Abanos Association for Childhood and Motherhood - AACM
Egyptian Center for Women's Rights - ECWR
Land Center for Human Rights - LCHR
Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights - MAAT
The Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement - EACPE
Gudran Association for Arts and Development - GUDRAN
Appropriate Communication Techniques for Development - ACT
One World Foundation - OWF
Development and Institutionalization Support Center - DISC
Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies - ICDS
National Development Foundation in Newabea (South Sinai) - NDF
The Egyptian Foundation for Refugee Rights - EFRR
The Egyptian Association for the Assistance of Juveniles and Human Rights - EAAJHR
Arab Media Forum for Environment and Development - AMFED
Resources for Development Center - RDC
Forum for Development and Human Rights Dialogue - FDHR
Eskenderella for Arts and Cultures
The Egyptian Association for Developing and Disseminating Legal Awareness - EADDLA
Association for the Development and Enhancement of Women – ADEW

Iraq

Tolerance International (TI); in collaboration with No Peace Without Justice - NPWJ
Iraqi Women for Gender Equality - IWGE – IRAQIAAT
Free Iraq Center for Civic Education - FICCE
Women's Legal Aid - WoLA
Pana Center for Combating VaW
Modern Iraqi Women - MIW
Civil Society Initiative
Bustan Association for Children's Education, Media & Culture - BACMA
Iraq Civic Action Network
Kurdistan Reconstruction and Development Society - KURDS
Women for Peace - WfP
Iraqi Organization for Conflict Resolution – IOCR

Jordan

Women for Cultural Development - NAMAA
The Arab Center for the Development of the Rule of Law & Integrity - ACRLI
Partners Jordan - PJ
Arab Women's Legal Network - AWLN
Jordanian Center for Civic Education Studies - JCCES
Jordan River Foundation Training & Consultancy Center - JRF/TCC; in collaboration with Nat Com for Family Affairs - NCFA
Al Urdun Al Jadid Research Center - UJRC
Justice Center for Legal Aid - JCLA
Fatima Zahra Charitable Association for Women (Tafileh)
Community Media Network - CMN
Arab Women Media Center - AWMC
Musawa Center for Civil Society Development (Mafraq) - MCCSD
Tamkeen for Legal Aid and Human rights
Community Development Committee (CDC), in Partnership with Movement for Peace - MPDL
Al-Hayat Center for Civil Society Development, Hayat Center - HCCSD
Methaq for Development and Human Right(In partnership with) Syrian Centre for Political and Strategic Studies – SCPSS

Kuwait

Kuwait Transparency Association – KTA

Lebanon

Philanthropic Amlieh Association - PAA & Tamkeen wa Tamniya
Samir Kassir Fondation - SKF
Maharat Foundation
Permanent Peace Movement
The Lebanese Center for Civic Education - LCCE
Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies - CESMO
Lebanese Foundation for Permanent Civil Peace - LFPCP
Lebanese Center for Human Rights - LCHR
National Committee for the Follow up on Women Issues - CFUWI
Beit Al Hanan
Developmental Action without Borders/Naba’a
Collective for Research and Training on Development Action - CRTDA
The Lebanese Transparency Association - LTA
Act for the Disappeared – AfD

Morocco

Fondation Zakoura Education - FZE
Centre régional de ressources de la société civile (Consortium of Moroccan NGOs - Bayti, Forum Citoyenneté, ADFM & Mohammedia Université)
Centre d’études des droits humains et de la démocratie - CEDHD
Center for Human Rights Studies and Democracy - CHRSD
Forum de la citoyenneté - FC
Citizenship Forum - CF
Centre des Droits des Gens - CDG
The Cinematheque of Tangier
Association Initiative Urbaine
Association démocratique des femmes du Maroc – ADFM
Women’s Democratic Association of Morocco

Pakistan

Child Care Foundation of Pakistan - CCF
Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency - PILDAT
Civil Society Human and Institutional Development Programme - CHIP
National Rural Research and Development Foundation - NRDF
Sindh Community Foundation (sindh, Hyderabad) - SCF
Human Development Promotion Group (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) - HDPG
Development Dimensions Society (Punjab & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) - DDS Youth Parliament of Pakistan - YPP
Alternative Initiatives for Development - AID
Taraqee Foundation - TF
Emergency Patients Welfare Society - EPWS
Progressive Research Institute of Socio-Economics - PRISE
Pakistan Press Foundation – PPF

Palestine

Palestine Central Elections Commission - CEC
Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies - RCHRS
Teacher Creativity Center - TCC; in collaboration with The Arab Network for Human Rights Education - ANHRE
Institute of Law (IoL)- BirZeit University
Middle East Non-Violence and Democracy - MEND
Teacher Creativity Center - TCC
The Palestinian Center for the Independence of Judiciary and Legal Profession - MUSAWA (PCIJLP)
Palestinian Center for Development & Media Freedom - MADA
Coalition for Accountability and Integrity - AMAN
Ma'an Network
Ashtar Theatre
Human Rights and Democracy Media Center “SHAMS"
AL-Maqdese for Society Development (East Jerusalem) - MSD
Association for Development of Palestinian Women's Capacities (Gaza) - ZAKHER

Tunisia

Liaisons Méditerranéennes / Mediterranean Links
Institut arabe des droits de l’homme - IADH
Arab Institute for Human Rights - AIHR
Association pour la Promotion de l'Education Citoyenne - APEC (formerly Association Images et Paroles de Femmes)
Association des femmes tunisiennes pour la recherché sur le développement - AFTURD
Tunisian Women Association for Research on Development
Democ'Art (formerly: Les Artistes Producteurs Associés)
Association Citoyenne Tunisien Khaman wa Qarar – ACT
Lam Elchamel / Bringing Together Diverse Trends

Yemen

Cultural Development Programs Foundation – CDPF
April 27th Organization for democratic education and defending freedoms and rights
Soul for the Development of Women and Children
Yemeni Observatory for Human Rights - YOHR
The National Forum for Human Rights - NFHR
Yemen Center for Human Rights Studies - YCfHRS
Yemen Education for Employment Foundation - YEFE
Social Democratic Forum - SDF
Yemen Center for Civil Rights - YCCR
Middle East Development Foundation - MEFD
Organization for Democratic Education and Defending
Youth Leadership Development Foundation - YLDF
Yemeni Organization for Economic and Social Development - YORECSOD
Youth Developmental Organization - YDO
Civil Development Foundation - CDF
AMAL Association for Social Development - AASD
Yemen Foundation for Social Studies - YFSS
Athar (Impact) Foundation for Development
Democratic Youth Association (Society) - DYA
Al wadi al jedid - Association for Social Development
Attanweer Association For Social Development - AASD
Transparency Center for Research & Studies - TCRS
Human Rights Information & Training Center – HRITC

Research

The Research Department of the Foundation for the Future was established with the aim of undertaking research activities and commissioning studies on topics of relevance to the Foundation’s mandate. By relying on evidence-based research, the Foundation seeks to enhance the role that research plays in the range of civil society organization (CSO) activities, including advocacy, networking, campaigning, and building partnerships and practical projects, in order to advance the work of CSOs.

The Foundation is also an active supporter of action-research initiatives promoted by CSOs in their respective field and environment. The Foundation awarded action-research grants to Civil Society Index (Al Urdun Al-Jadid Research Centre, Jordan), Quality Assessment of Democracy (PILDAT, Pakistan), or Security Sector Governance (Institute of Law at Birzeit University, Palestine, and Centre for Middle Eastern and Strategic Studies, Lebanon)

The Foundation is currently collaborating with various think-tanks and specialists for research projects around democracy assistance, transitional justice and civil society mapping.

Conference and events

By organizing regional conferences, the Foundation is assuring its continued support to the democratic change in the region with the importance of peaceful approach towards change that should be durable and more pragmatic. On January 17th, 2012, the Foundation for the Future organized a conference entitled “Violence and Non-Violence in the Arab Spring”. It gathered approximately 70 experts, thinkers and practitioners from the region, of whom four presented the theories surrounding political non-violence and provided study cases from their respective countries of Tunisia, Lebanon, Yemen and Palestine. Training and workshops Training is geared toward enhancing the effectiveness of CSOs and the impact of their work at community and policy level by improving the organizations’ know-how, management and technical capacity, advocacy skills and internal governance.

IV. Donors

The work of the Foundation has been supported by a diverse group of donors including

Germany	Netherlands	United Kingdom
Greece	Spain	United States of America
Hungary	Switzerland	European Comission
Denmark	Jordan	Turkey

IV. Board members

Cornelio Sommaruga (Swiss), the Honorary Chair of the Board of Directors, is a prominent humanitarian, lawyer and diplomat. He is best known for being the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from 1987 to 1999. Currently Dr. Sommaruga is the honorary President of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, as well as the honorary President of Initiatives of Change International in Caux (Switzerland). Moreover, Dr. Sommaruga served as the State Secretary of Switzerland for Economic Affairs from 1984 to 1986.

Bakhtiar Amin (Iraq), the Chair of the Board of Directors, previously served as the Minister of Human Rights of Iraq and Executive Director of the International Alliance for Justice (IAJ), which coordinates a network of 275 international non-governmental organizations from more than 120 countries. He has 20 years of experience in the field of international human rights and humanitarian work and has worked extensively on issues involving minorities, indigenous peoples, women's rights, land mines, the International Criminal Court, freedom of expression, and conflict resolution.

Kamel Abu Jaber (Jordan), the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, has been the President of the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy since 1997. Formerly, he served as Minister of the Economy, Senator and Minister of Foreign Affairs for Jordan. Dr. Abu Jaber previously held the positions of Professor of Political Science, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Commerce, and Director of the Strategic Studies Centre at the University of Jordan.

Parvez Hassan (Pakistan) is the secretary of the foundation, Senior Partner of Hassan & Hassan (Advocates) in Pakistan and currently the President of the Pakistan Environmental Law Association. He has been actively involved in promoting and defending the rule of law in Pakistan throughout his career. He led the nation-wide lawyers’ movement in 1983 against General Zia ul Haq. He is also the founder of the Dr. Parvez Hassan Environmental Law Centre at the University Law College (Punjab University) and the co-founder of the Asia-Pacific Centre of Environmental Law in Singapore.

Abdul Hassan Buhusain (Bahrain) is the Treasurer of the Foundation for the Future, and Chair of the Finance & Audit Committee. Chief Executive Director of the Bahraini Civil Service Bureau until 1996. Prior to this, he was Undersecretary for Ministry of Information, and then a Member and Second Deputy of the appointed Shura Council. He was Member of Directors of Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO), as well as Board Chairman and Managing Director of BAI, Bahrain Atomizer International (BAI). He now provides management consultancy services to private companies in Bahrain.

Sabine Gürtner (Germany), the Chairperson for the Grants Committee, worked as a research analyst for several years with Infratest, a social and economic research institute in Germany. In 2003, she followed a call to establish and to coordinate an NGO-Network and Think Tank “WOMNET” to address and to promote women’s and human rights, global governance, social development perspectives and the participation of civil society organizations in international processes through capacity-building, policy dialogue, networking, analysis, and research. She is currently the program director of Promoting Gender Equality and Women's Rights at GIZ (formerly GTZ).

Amal Basha (Yemen) is the Chairperson for Sisters Arab Forum for Human Rights (SAF) in Sana’a, Yemen. Amal Basha is an active member of Yemeni Civil Society and has written a number of papers on gender, human rights, justice and citizenship.

Andreu Claret Serra (Spain), Executive Director of the Anna Lindh Foundation, which promotes dialogue between countries of the Euro-Mediterranean region. . Expert in international affairs, he previously served as the director of the Spanish News Agency (EFE) for sub-Saharan Africa and Central America. His interests lie in the challenges of developing countries, relations between the West and the Arab world, Spanish foreign policy in the Mediterranean space, as well as in the interaction between cultures, civilizations and the role of civil societies.

Chief Judge Robert Henry (USA) held the positions of Dean and Professor of Law at the Oklahoma City University School of Law, and since 1994 serves in the US Court of Appeals. Judge Henry is also a member of the Board of Directors for the VERA Institute of Justice and is a Life Member of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. He currently serves on the Board of various prominent Law institutions, including the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative, chairing their Middle East/North Africa Council. He has recently been appointed as President of Oklahoma City University.

Zahira Kamal (Palestine) is the director of the Palestinian Women Research and Documentation Center (UNESCO project), Zahira Kamal was appointed the first Minister of Women's Affairs of the Palestinian Authority in November 2003. She previously served as the Director General of the Gender Planning and Development Directorate at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation. She has also worked at UNDP as Director of the Women in Development Program and is one of the founders of the International Women Commission for Just Peace between Palestinians and Israelis.

Dr. Rama Mani (France) is an internationally renowned expert on peace, justice and human security, Dr Rama Mani is a Councilor of the World Future Council as well as a Senior Research Associate of the University of Oxford’s Centre for International Studies. She was the Director of the Carnegie Corporation-funded multi-disciplinary project on, and co-editor with Professor Thomas Weiss of, Responsibility to Protect: Cultural Perspectives in the Global South (Routledge, 2011). She also authored Beyond Retribution: Seeking Justice in the Shadows of War (Polity/Blackwell, 2002, 2007), and numerous academic articles on peace and security.

Mr. Arnold Luethold (Switzerland) is the Assistant Director of Democratic Control Armed Forces, Head, Africa and Middle East Operations. He has more than 25 years of experience in the Arab cultures, democracy movements and monitoring and controlling security organizations, especially in the Arab region.

The president of the Foundation: Mrs. Nabila Hamza is the President of the Foundation for the Future, (FFF). She has dedicated herself fully to the mission and detailed activities of this important organization, with a firm devotion to support the civil society initiatives in their efforts to promote democracy and human rights in the BMENA region. In recognition of her significant role in the Foundation’s continuing efforts to support civil society initiatives, the Arab Pioneer and Innovators Forum granted an award to honor Ms. Nabila Hamza in November 2009. This award promoted the dissemination of information on the Foundation’s achievements as a reliable and credible partner to civil society organizations for the promotion of human rights and democracy in the region.

In November 2011 the Arab-European Center of Human Rights and International Law honored Mrs. Hamza by its 2011 “Arab Human Rights Award” for her dedicated efforts towards enhancing the principles of Human Rights. Prior to her work at the Foundation for the Future, Mrs. Hamza served as the Executive Director of the Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR), a regional center based in Tunisia and funded by UNDP, UNFPA and IPPF. She has worked as an Expert in the Arab League for 10 years. Moreover, Mrs. Hamza has been a founding member of several women's rights and development associations through which she acquired a wide knowledge of civil society organizations in the Arab countries.

V. External links

Website: www.foundationforfuture.org