Catégorie : blog

Attalaki had the privilege of both participating as well as co-designing a learning workshop with USAID here in Tunisia. A number of participants were gathered from across the civil society sector from around the world, such as Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, the United States as well as Tunisia. The aim of the workshop was to “Build resilient communities” through fostering collaboration, capacity strengthening and monitoring, evaluation, and learning techniques.

Although the training covered a wealth of valuable content, such as Storytelling, branding, M&E, and the use of USAID-related tools, the most profound impact came from Networking and engaging in field visits. These experiences allowed our organization to connect with other civil society actors from around the world who are working on similar issues related to FORB (Freedom of Religion and Belief). We encountered diverse stories, challenges, failures, successes, and breakthroughs, providing us with valuable insights and lessons to apply in our own context.

Recognizing Tunisia’s rich history of faith and diversity, the workshop thoughtfully arranged field trips for all attendees to various religious landmarks. These included visits to el Zitouna Mosque, Bet Mordechai Synagogue, and St. George’s Anglican Church, offering participants a chance to honor and explore the country’s religious heritage.

This workshop fostered a strong bond among participants by addressing shared challenges. It served as a powerful reminder to our team that we are not alone in facing the different hardships and obstacles. The experience highlighted the significance of collaboration as the key to driving impactful and positive change.

On June 26, 2023, Mr. Adam Phillips, Director of the Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation’s Local, Faith and Transformative Partnerships, along with Ms. Gretchen Birkle, responsible for the USAID’s Middle East and North Africa office, and Ms. Jillian Provost, visited the office of the Attalaki Organization in the Tunisian capital.

The president of the Attalaki Organization and the manager of relations and partnerships welcomed a high-level American delegation on a working visit to Tunisia and Morocco. An overview of Attalaki’s work and its pivotal role in promoting peaceful coexistence and defending the right to religious freedom and the representation of religious minorities was presented. The meeting provided an opportunity for the exchange of ideas and discussions on the results of the « Let’s Talk About Religious Freedom » project and the next steps to be taken. Both delegations expressed their strong admiration for Attalaki’s work, its success in project implementation, and their commitment to continuing to support the organization’s work.

It is worth noting that Attalaki is the first local organization in Tunisia to receive direct funding from the U.S. government through the USAID under the New Partnerships Initiative (NPI)

The advocacy campaign launched by the « Let’s Talk About Religious Freedom » project achieved significant success, reaching over 700,000 individuals through social media publications. Additionally, the project resulted in a qualitative and quantitative research study, the first of its kind in Tunisia, examining the state of religious freedom in Tunisia, including sociological and constitutional legal aspects. Moreover, more than 240 individuals from diverse religious, intellectual, and cultural backgrounds were trained with the aim of educating and raising awareness about the importance of the right to religious freedom or belief.

The Attalaki Organization has unveiled its second annual report concerning discrimination against religious minority groups in Tunisia. This comprehensive report, meticulously assembled by the Religious Freedom Committee, builds upon the groundbreaking initial Religious Freedom Report published in 2021. The inaugural report shed light on the overall landscape of religious freedom and illuminated instances of discrimination faced by members belonging to religious minority communities within Tunisia.

The initial report’s significance was profound, as it marked a pioneering effort within both Tunisia and the wider region. Its scope encompassed a thorough documentation of violations and prejudiced acts directed at religious minorities. It brought into focus the systematic discrimination these groups experience, underscoring the marginalization of their rights from both a legal and societal perspective.

The most recent report delves even deeper, specifically scrutinizing cases of discrimination that have been directed at religious minority groups during 2022. Additionally, it investigates incidents of hate speech and discrimination disseminated through diverse channels, including religious leaders, associations, and media platforms. These instances were meticulously documented by the Observation and Follow-up Unit of the Religious Freedom Committee, with valuable input from local contacts distributed throughout Tunisia.

This report strives to cultivate a more inclusive societyand assumes a role in advocating for transformative change. It accentuates the imperative for heightened awareness, systemic transformation, and the establishment of dependable mechanisms to monitor and redress discrimination against religious minority groups.

«The Religious Freedom Committee, acting within Attalaki organization, prepared this report in the framework of the Project entitled “For a Tunisia without Discrimination”. This Project is implemented by Attalaki organization, Mnemty Association, and Minority Rights Group International.»

With the aim of enhancing cooperation and joint work, Mr. Massoud Hafnaoui, President and Co-Founder of “Attalaki” organization in Tunisia, and Ms. Roua Tlili, Assistant Program Coordinator at the organization, visited the offices of the Middle East Council of Churches’ General Secretariat in Beirut, on Thursday 11 May 2023. They were received by the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs.

During the meeting, the attendees talked about the general situation in the Arab region and the most prominent challenges of its people. They also discussed ways of cooperation, especially in the fields of dialogue and civil peace, in addition to some issues related to interaction between civilizations, cultures and religions within the framework of developing dialogue, solidarity and social cohesion.

Moreover, the attendees agreed to hold future meetings in order to evolve ways of cooperation and coordination through new activities and programs.

The Wilton Park Mediterranean initiative for a multi-stakeholder Dialogue on Inclusive Citizenship and Freedom of Religion and Belief was held in Frascati, Italy, between the 6th and 8th of March. Co-organized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Italian and British Embassies to the Holy See, and the Adyan Foundation, the conference brought together religious actors, experts, and policymakers to explore the link between FoRB and Inclusive Citizenship in the Middle East.

The event’s focus on FoRB highlighted its critical role in promoting social cohesion and reducing inequality, resentment, and unrest in the region. The conference recognized that the lack of FoRB is not only a pressing global issue affecting millions but also a source of socioeconomic discrimination and segregation that increases inequality, resentment, and unrest.

Attalaki participated as the leading voice in promoting FoRB in Tunisia. The organization’s focus on FoRB is based on its commitment to the principles of human rights and democracy. Attalaki’s efforts have been critical in building a cohesive and inclusive society in Tunisia and have been actively advocating for legal and societal reforms to protect the rights of religious minorities.

The conference recognized the need to bring the agendas of FoRB and Inclusive Citizenship together to ensure shared progress. Participants identified the areas of concern and the remaining challenges and obstacles on the legal and societal levels for the concrete implementation of this agenda and recommended ways to overcome them. The conference fostered and promoted social cohesion through a shared interreligious agenda for FoRB and Inclusive Citizenship, especially in the MENA and Mediterranean areas. It also proposed creative new forms of multireligious engagement for human dignity, fraternity, and living together.

Mr. Ghassen Ayari, the head of Attalaki’s public relations and partnership office, had the privilege of attending an audience granted by His Holiness Pope Francis, as well as participating in numerous discussions with decision-makers. During these interactions, he emphasized the importance of Attalaki’s work on FoRB and promoting interfaith understanding.

In conclusion, the Wilton Park Mediterranean initiative for a multi-stakeholder Dialogue on Inclusive Citizenship and Freedom of Religion and Belief was a significant event that highlighted the critical role of FoRB in promoting social cohesion and reducing inequality, resentment, and unrest in the Middle East. The conference provided valuable insights into promoting FoRB and building inclusive societies in the Middle East, and its policy recommendations will help advance this critical agenda. The involvement of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Italian and British Embassies to the Holy See, and the Adyan Foundation, as well as the participation of Attalaki, underscores the importance of this issue at a global level.

Tunisia, March 8, 2023 – Attalaki, the leading anti-hate organization in Tunisia that defends the values of citizenship and diversity, has announced a new partnership with the Tunisian Ministry of Education. This collaboration aims to educate students and teachers about the importance of coexistence, citizenship, and diversity in the country.

The agreement between the ministry and Attalaki organization seeks to foster cooperation and strengthen the partnership by implementing mutually agreed-upon work programs that align with the organization’s goals and the ministry’s initiatives. Through this partnership, we aim to promote a culture of tolerance, acceptance of differences, and effective management of diversity. Additionally, the agreement seeks to achieve the following objectives:

Cultivating a culture of cooperation, citizenship, and coexistence within the educational environment.

Enhancing the role of educational institutions in instilling citizenship values in children and youth.

Providing increased support and guidance to young people through cultural, recreational, and social activities within educational spaces.

This new and important partnership embodies the shared desire between the Ministry of Education and the Attalaki Organization to work on enhancing educational, informative, and intellectual activities aimed at benefiting young people.

Attalaki Chargé of Public Relations and Partnerships, Ghassen Ayari, participated along more than 60 young men and women from 42 countries, in addition to 20 male and female youth from Qatar, in the forum, which was held at the headquarters of the Qatar Scouts and Girl Guides Association.

The forum, which was organized by A Common Word Among the Youth (ACWAY) and Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID), comes under the slogan “Youth and Peace Building: Interfaith from Theory to Application”.

It was also an occasion to more collaborate with the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers, one of partners of DICID and ACWAY in the forum funding.  Attalaki joined the Network as a full member more than one year ago. The Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers builds bridges between grassroots peacemakers and global players in order to strengthen the work done for sustainable peace. The Network strengthens peacemaking by collaboratively supporting the positive role of religious and traditional actors in peace and peacebuilding processes. The mission of the Network encompasses the following strategic objectives, which are also geared to contribute to UN efforts towards sustaining peace and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5, 16, and 17, and UNSCR 1325 (women, peace, and security).

The objective of the Doha Forum, which includes various lectures, training courses and workshops, is to highlight the pivotal role of youth in stimulating coexistence, religious and cultural dialogue, and confronting extremism and intolerance. The forum offered an extension for the goals and vision shared by Attalaki and DICID with regard to the importance of involving young people in all international events and activities related to interfaith dialogue, where the forum was entirely composed of young people to listen to their opinions and discussions, while the mission was to listening and debating with them, presenting workshops by academic professors and specialists, and transferring ideas and proposals to a higher level for decision-makers in order to support youth activities locally and globally. The growing interest in youth issues at the global level was one of the main points discussed during the Doha forum.

Our PR officer, offered also an intervention in French to the ORYX Qatari Radio where he pointed out the main objectives for Attalaki participation within the “Doha Youth Interfaith and Intercultural Forum” and our main current projects and activities in Tunisia and across the region.

The main two outcomes of the Doha Youth Interfaith and Intercultural Forum were the participants recommendations directed to the G20IF in India 2023 and an official statement to the UN World Interfaith Harmony Week 2023.

The Public Relations and Partnerships officer of Attalaki organization, Ghassen Ayari, accompanied by Dr. Sabrine Jlassi and Roua Tlilli, assistant Program Coordinator, met with Dr. Fethi Sellaouti, Tunisian Minister of Education at the Ministry, where Attalaki presented to the minister a copy of a policy paper addressing the Tunisian educational system, in addition to the outputs related to Attalaki’s activities related to educational field in Tunisia.

Attalaki’s representatives presented the project “Diversité, cinéma documentaire, et education” providing an overview of the different outcomes of the documentary short film that was produced between 2021 and 2022. These short documentary films were a unique opportunity for young Tunisians to visit historical, cultural, and religious sites, which aims to make them aware of the diverse cultural heritage of their country.

Dr. Sellaouti expressed his support and willingness to reinforce cooperation with civil society organizations to strengthen state pedagogical efforts on topics related to inclusive citizenship and universal values.

A second meeting took place in the Ministry with Mr. Lassaad Chouchane, Chargé de Mission and Responsible for Relations with CSOs, where general aspects related to potential joint activities were discussed and a partnership agreement was presented to Attalaki.

The 3-day summit continued efforts to strengthen ties with African partners based on principles of mutual respect and shared interests and values. It also served as an opportunity to listen to and collaborate with African counterparts on key areas the United States and Africa define as critical for the future of the continent and global communities.  The summit built on shared values to:

• better foster new economic engagement;
• reinforce the U.S.-Africa commitment to democracy and human rights;
• mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and of future pandemics;
• work collaboratively to strengthen regional and global health;
• promote food security;
• advance peace and security;
• respond to the climate crisis; and
• amplify diaspora ties. 

Delegations from 49 African countries and the African Union, alongside members of civil society and the private sector attended the summit. 

The first day kicked off with a focus on the vital role of civil society and the strength of the African diaspora communities in the United States. It featured sessions on topics ranging from trade and investment; to health and climate change; to peace, security, and governance; to space cooperation.  

The second day focused on increasing two-way trade and investment at the U.S.-Africa Business Forum. CEOs and private sector leadership from over 300 American and African companies convened with the Heads of Delegation to catalyze investment in critical sectors, including health, infrastructure, energy, agribusiness, and digital.   

The third and final day was dedicated to high-level discussions among leaders, with President Biden opening the day with a session on partnering on Agenda 2063—the African Union’s strategic vision for the continent.

Attalaki was represented by its Executive Director, Mr. Mahjoub Daadaa, during the US – Africa Leaders’ Summit by an invitation from the United States government.

Mr. Daadaa was present during the “How Can the U.S. Support an Inclusive Digital Transformation in Africa?” side event held at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on December 13th, 2022.

The event revolved on the following: “The African continent is undergoing a digital transformation that will shape African economies and societies for decades to come. Yet over 800 million Africans remain offline, including millions of youths who will drive the future of the region’s digital economy. The Biden administration’s “U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa” outlines a plan to bolster economic ties with countries in the region, and the upcoming U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit will advance U.S.-African collaboration on the most pressing global and regional priorities of our day. How can policymakers, investors, and stakeholders in Africa and beyond best support the continent’s digital transformation? The Carnegie Africa Program hosted on the margins of the U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit an event including African policymakers and representatives from the U.S. government to discuss how the United States can partner with African countries to promote innovation and build an inclusive digital economy.”

The event was assured by speakers as follows:

• Zainab Usman: a senior fellow and director of the Africa Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. Her fields of expertise include institutions, economic policy, energy policy, and emerging economies in Africa.
• Lacina Koné: the director general and chief executive officer of Smart Africa.
• Olugbenga Agboola: the chief executive officer and co-founder of “Flutterwave.”
• Christopher Burns: the chief digital development officer and the director for the Technology Division within the Innovation, Technology, and Research Hub at the U.S. Agency for International Development.
• Jane Munga: a fellow in the Africa Program focusing on technology policy.
• John Tanui: Principal Secretary of the Republic of Kenya’s State Department for Information Communications Technology (ICT) and the Digital Economy.

Mr. Daadaa spoke with the director general and chief executive officer of Smart Africa, Mr. Lacina Koné, on the importance of protecting religious minorities within the workplace as well as on the digital space. He also, briefed them about the contemporary situation of religious minorities in Tunisia and how they face challenges in terms of employment because of their religious affiliations. The African business representative welcomed Mr. Daadaa’s comments and promised to keep them into consideration.