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Middle East Partnership Initiative: Strengthening Democratic Participation Through the Empowerment of Civil Society

State Department

Laura Schulz Date: Wednesday, 2 January 2008 Time: 9:00 a.m. EST (1400 GMT) View Webchat Transcript

Over 300 civil society leaders from throughout the BMENA region convened in Sanaa, Yemen between November 30 and December 2 for the fourth Civil Society Parallel Forum. Organized by a cross-cutting coalition of Yemeni civil society leaders, with support from MEPI, the Parallel Forum represents a locally-driven initiative in which civic leaders from the BMENA region outline tangible, action-oriented strategies to advance reform in the Middle East and North Africa.

Please join Laura Schulz in a discussion of the Parallel Forum and its significance as it relates to MEPI's support to indigenous civil society organizations in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Guest Biography: Laura A. Schulz is the Civil Society and Rule of Law Manager at the Office of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), U.S. Department of State, where she has developed and oversees a portfolio of nearly 30 programs throughout the Middle East and North Africa that amplify and strengthen local democratization efforts. She has worked for more than a decade with civil society organizations in the Middle East. In 2006, she received a Superior Honor Award, for demonstrating U.S. Government commitment to civil society in the Middle East.