Candid Foundation is a private non-for-profit organisation working in the fields of intercultural dialogue, media, research and development. It was founded in 2014 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. The organization focuses on the countries of the Southern Mediterranean,

Western Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...

and the wider

MENA region MENA, an acronym in the English language, refers to a grouping of countries situated in and around the Middle East and North Africa. It is also known as WANA, SWANA, or NAWA, which alternatively refers to the Middle East as Western Asia (or a ...

Mission and activities

According to its own charter, the organization enables dialogue between different cultures, societies, fields of expertise. The Candid Foundation's projects "foster intercultural understanding and creative approaches in international development". The Candid Foundation facilitates dialogue between societal actors and supports mediation in conflict zones. Its members, experts and fellows advise international institutions and policymakers. The institution describes its efforts as an "antidote to intolerance, xenophobia, sectarianism and disinformation". In 2016, the Candid Foundation assumed the editorship of the German Middle East magazine

zenith The zenith (, ) is an imaginary point directly "above" a particular location, on the celestial sphere. "Above" means in the vertical direction ( plumb line) opposite to the gravity direction at that location ( nadir). The zenith is the "high ...

and hence publishes digital content in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

. The Candid Foundation's director general, Daniel Gerlach, is simultaneously the chairman of the magazine's editorial board. In an interview with the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel, Gerlach declared at the occasion of zenith Magazine's 20th anniversary that the partnership between the magazine and the organization was a pioneering feat to sustainably fund the "cultural asset" of specialised, in-depth journalism. The organization established the media platform Local Libya to support independent exchange of information from different regions of war-torn

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

. It also initiated the photography contest and award "Libya Uncharted" to challenge stereotypes of Libya and facilitate dialogue about the country's diverse culture and common heritage. In 2018 the Candid Foundation launched its first grant programme for reporters and journalists in the Arab world. In 2020, a programme of longer-term grants was established for journalists in Syria,

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

, the Palestinian territories,

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

. The Candid Foundation also initiated a series of photography contests on Muslims in Germany in Europe. In addition its media-related work, the Candid Foundation is active in research and applied science on Middle East politics and societies or the issue of

Radicalization Radicalization (or radicalisation) is the process by which an individual or a group comes to adopt increasingly views in opposition to a political, social, or religious status quo. The ideas of society at large shape the outcomes of radicalizat ...

. It developed a "qualification course for counselors in the framework of deradicalisation / counseling of the social environment" in cooperation with the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. In 2019, in cooperation with the office of the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, the Candid Foundation co-hosted the conference "EUMed means business" with 100 participants including young entrepreneurs of

small and medium-sized enterprises Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are businesses whose personnel and revenue numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation "SME" is used by international organizations such as the World Bank ...

from the Arab world. The conference resulted in a charter of recommendations of startup entrepreneurs and experts on economic policy priorities for the MENA region. The Candid Foundation is a member of the Mediterranean think tank association Euromesco and of the Anna Lindh Foundation's Euro-Mediterranean network. It sponsored and co-founded the multilateral policy round table Baghdad Policy Club in the Iraqi capital. The organization is funded through private donations and project grants from private and public donors. Among its supporters and partner institutions it states the German Federal Foreign Office, the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt,

Robert Bosch Stiftung The Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH () is a German foundation that owns a majority shareholding in Robert Bosch GmbH, from which it derives its funding. The foundation was established in accordance with the wishes of Robert Bosch, who died in 1942, an ...

, the

Siemens Foundation The Siemens Foundation is a non-profit organization in the United States, established by Siemens AG in 1998. It is responsible for the Siemens Competition (formerly Siemens Westinghouse Competition), a prestigious science award for U.S. high school ...

, the Stiftung Mercator, and the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

Members and founders

Among the founders of the Candid Foundation are Middle East experts Daniel Gerlach, Asiem El Difraoui, and the social entrepreneur

Belabbes Benkredda 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, an Arab online and television debate forum th ...

. Other founding members and partners are Marcel Mettelsiefen, a Grammy and BAFTA winning and

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominated documentary filmmaker, the entrepreneur Jörg Schäffer, the German journalists Moritz Behrendt and Christian Meier, Inna Rudolf, an Iraq expert at the

International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR) is a non-profit, non-governmental think tank based in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London whose mission is to educate the public and hel ...

( King's College London), and the Arabist Katja Brinkmann, who died in 2017. The advisory board include academics

Gilles Kepel Gilles Kepel, (born June 30, 1955) is a French political scientist and Arabist, specialized in the contemporary Middle East and Muslims in the West. He is Professor at the Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL) and director of the Middle Ea ...

, Udo Steinbach, Verena Metze-Mangold, Ayad al-Ani, Christian-Peter Hanelt of the Bertelsmann Foundation, TV journalist and presenter Aline Abboud, and Swiss entrepreneur Heinz Buhofer. The Candid Foundation also entertains a network of fellows from various fields of expertise, such as Iran expert Walter Posch, Iraqi entrepreneur Alaa al-Bahadli, or the constitutional scholar Naseef Naeem.

References

{{Authority control Foreign policy and strategy think tanks Foundations based in Germany