The Arab Reform Initiative organised on February 4-5, 2013, in collaboration with the Center for Studies and Research in Social Sciences in Rabat, a workshop entitled “Governance of Diversity in the Arab Countries: Experiences in the context of transformations”

The workshop falls within the framework of Governance of Diversity Project that focuses on the governance of diversity with its various forms and aspects, from the perspective of the state and the governments’ responsibility in this regard. The project focuses on the public policies and constitutional and legal measures that governments adopt and implement in view of achieving equality among the citizens.

The workshop was attended by a number of prominent researchers from several Arab countries interested in diversity and its management, and its session were devoted to discussing the legal, political and cultural dimensions and aspects of diversity, as well as the main obstacles, issues and challenges that diversity management has raised in the Arab world. The participants focused on the political regimes’ role in this respect since the good governance of diversity, and ensuring that no societal group is excluded or alienated from the public sphere, is one of the basic criteria of good governance. They also discussed the current status of diversity management in a number of Arab countries, and the problems and challenges inherent to the manner in which governments address the issue.  The researchers also discussed the importance of developing an Arab framework or charter that comprises a list of guidelines and criteria for good diversity management in the Arab countries.