The Arab Democracy Foundation (ADF) is an independent international Arab

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...

as a

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

, a way of life, and the best system for

good governance Good governance is the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for th ...

. ADF was established on May 27, 2007, at the initiative of Arab democracy advocates, and with support from the State of

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

which accepted to host ADF's headquarters. H.H.

Moza bint Nasser Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned ( ar, موزا بنت ناصر المسند; born 8 August 1959) is one of the three consorts of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, former Emir of the State of Qatar. She is co-founder and chairperson of the ...

announced the inception of ADF and currently chairs its

board of trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

Mission and resources

ADF aims at promoting democracy in the

Arab region The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western As ...

. It provides material and moral support to organizations and activists in this field, by using all possible peaceful means, and by channeling all human and financial resources available at the local, regional and international levels. ADF also seeks to disseminate the culture of

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

and to increase the citizens’ awareness of, and commitment to, their legitimate rights. ADF uses all ways and means that fall in line with its objectives. It does not side with, or acts against, any Arab regime. ADF resources come from the contributions of its founders, as well as from

donations A donation is a gift for charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donation may satisfy medical needs such as b ...

grants Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom *Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama *Grant, Inyo County, C ...

, endowments, subscriptions, earnings, and other forms of financial support approved the board of trustees.

Management

The Forum on Democracy and Reform in the Arab World
held every three years, serves as a general assembly from which the ADF Board of Trustees emanates. Board of trustees The highest executive body of the ADF. It is currently composed of 15 members. The board of trustees (BoT) draws the ADF general policy, adopts its plan of action and

budget A budget is a calculation play, usually but not always financial, for a defined period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including time, costs and expenses, environmenta ...

, appoints its senior officials, and regularly reviews the programs and projects included in its plan of action. The BoT meets at least once a year. An executive committee, composed of board members, acts for the board during the interim between BoT meetings. H.H.

is currently the chair of the board, with Dr. Salim El Hoss as her vice-chair. Until 26 January 2009, the late Dr. Aziz Sidqi was the board's vice-chair. The other trustees are: Dr. Ali Fakhro, Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah,

Emma Bonino Emma Bonino (born 9 March 1948) is an Italian politician. A senator for Rome, she served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2014. Previously, she was a Member of the European Parliament and a member of the Chamber of Deputies. She serve ...

, Dr.

Saad Eddin Ibrahim Saad Eddin Ibrahim ( arz, سعد الدين إبراهيم, ) (born 31 December 1938) is an Egyptian sociologist and author. He is one of Egypt's leading human rights and democracy activists, and a strong critic of former Egyptian President Hosni ...

Mary Robinson Mary Therese Winifred Robinson ( ga, Máire Mhic Róibín; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who was the 7th president of Ireland, serving from December 1990 to September 1997, the first woman to hold this office. Prior to her electi ...

, Dr. Hasan Al-Ibrahim,

Ely Ould Mohamed Vall Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall ( ar, إعلي ولد محمد فال ''I‘lī Wald Muḥammad Fāl''; 1953 – 5 May 2017) was a Mauritanian political and military figure. Following a coup d'état in August 2005, he served as the transitional ...

, Dr.

Mohammed Abed al-Jabri Mohammed Abed Al Jabri ( ar, محمد عابد الجابري; 27 December 1935 – 3 May 2010 Rabat) was one of the most known Moroccan and Arab philosophers; he taught philosophy, Arab philosophy, and Islamic thought in Mohammed V Universit ...

Joschka Fischer Joseph Martin "Joschka" Fischer (born 12 April 1948) is a German retired politician of the Alliance 90/The Greens. He served as the foreign minister and as the vice-chancellor of Germany in the cabinet of Gerhard Schröder from 1998 to 2005. Fis ...

Sadiq al-Mahdi Sadiq al-Mahdi ( ar, الصادق المهدي, aṣ-Ṣādiq al-Mahdī; 25 December 193526 November 2020), also known as Sadiq as-Siddiq, was a Sudanese political and religious figure who was Prime Minister of Sudan from 1966 to 1967 and again f ...

, Dr.

Azmi Bishara Azmi Bishara ( ar, عزمي بشارة born 22 July 1956) is an Israeli Arab public intellectual, political philosopher and author. He is presently the General Director of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies and the Chair of the B ...

, and Amat Al Alim Alsoswa. Executive committee The board members choose from among them a five-member executive committee, headed by the board president or her deputy, or by any other member chosen by the board. The secretary-general of ADF is also member of the executive committee. The executive committee has the full authority of the board of trustees, and is directly responsible before the board. The committee meets at least four times a year, upon the invitation of its president or his deputy. The executive committee follows up the work of the Secretariat General and the ADF, and submits periodic reports to the board of trustees. For the purposes of its work, the executive committee may create specialized, ad hoc or standing, committees. Dr. Ali Fakhro currently chairs the executive committee which includes: Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah, Dr. Hasan Al-Ibrahim, and Dr.

, as well as the secretary-general. Secretariat-General The executive body of the ADF, headed by a full-time

Secretary-General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

, pursuant to a board decision. The secretariat-general includes divisions in charge of program and research, financial and administrative affairs, public relations and information. Dr. Ali Ben Smaikh al-Marry served as ADF's first secretary-general (May 2007-March 2008).

Mohsen Marzouk Mohsen Marzouk ( ar, محسن مرزوق; born July 1965) is a Tunisian politician. He holds a degree in political sociology and International Relations from the International Studies Association in Tunis. Early life Mohsen Marzouk was born in ...

is ADF's second and current secretary-general (March 2008–present).

External links

The official website of the Arab Democracy FoundationThe Second Forum on Democracy and Political Reform in the Arab World
{{Authority control Arab organizations Foundations based in Qatar 2007 establishments in Qatar Political advocacy groups in Qatar