Belabbes Benkredda is an Algerian-German social innovator, writer, television commentator, and government consultant who specializes in public diplomacy. He is the founder of

The Munathara Initiative The Munathara Initiative is a non-profit debate initiative based in Tunis, Tunisia and Washington, D.C., aimed at promoting debate and free speech for youth, women, and marginalized communities in the Arabic-speaking world. Munathara organizes ...

, an Arab online and television debate forum that promotes the voices of youth, women and marginalized communities in the Arab public. He was a recipient of the 2013 Democracy Award of the National Democratic Institute, and is a Fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar. In 2016 he was named a World Fellow by Yale University.

Education and career

Benkredda received an undergraduate degree in Frankfurt, at Goethe University. He studied international relations and philosophy of law, graduating with an MA in Middle East Politics from the University of Exeter. He worked for the German Foreign Office in Berlin, the Council for Arab-British Understanding in London, and for

Zenith Magazine ''zenith'' is an independent German-language magazine which focuses on the Arab and Islamic world. The magazine is published quarterly and addresses politics, economics, culture, and society in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia as well ...

in various cities in the Middle East. He has also worked for the League of Arab States and the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt. His articles on media and democracy in the Arab world have appeared in

Gulf News ''Gulf News'' is a daily English language newspaper published from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was first launched in 1978, and is currently distributed throughout the UAE and also in other Persian Gulf Countries. Its online edition was launch ...

, Khaleej Times, The National and the European Magazine. He has contributed commentary on Arab affairs to a number of international media, including Aljazeera TV, Spiegel Online, and the New York Times. Benkredda is one of the founders of the Berlin-based think tank Candid Foundation. In 2019, he co-initiated Tunisia's first-ever televised candidate debate in the run-up to the

2019 Tunisian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Tunisia on 15 September 2019, the second direct vote for the presidency since the 2011 revolution. The elections had originally been planned for 17 and 24 November, but were brought forward after the death of ...

Dubai Debates

In January 2011, Benkredda founded the Dubai Debates, intending for it to be an independent platform for discussing important issues facing the Arab world. The project was supported by groups such as KAS ( Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung), Vital Voices, and CNN International. In the spring of 2012, he suspended the project and created a sister organization in Tunis, Tunisia.

The Munathara Initiative

The Dubai Debates ceased its operations and Benkredda founded The Munathara Initiative in 2012. This successor program is set up in a similar way and takes a three-pronged approach to debates: community outreach, online and social media participation, and a live debate event. Live television debates have been held in Tunis, Sanaa, Amman and Istanbul.

Awards and recognition

*Recipient of the 2013 Democracy Award of the National Democratic Institute *He is also an alumnus of the Sessions of the Salzburg Global Seminar, referred to as a Salzburg Global Fellow. *He also received the Nazih Ayubi Memorial Award in 2004.

External links

Munathara Initiative Official SiteSalzburg Global SeminarVItal Voices Official website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benkredda, Belabbes People from Tunis People from Dubai Peace and conflict scholars Year of birth missing (living people) Television people from Frankfurt Living people