Launch of the Regional Network to Promote Reconciliation and Forgiveness in the Arab Region
On Monday, 29th May 2023, the Regional Network to Promote Reconciliation and Forgiveness in the Arab region was launched in the Jordanian capital, Amman. The initiative was spearheaded by the Jordanian Hayat Center - RASED and the Salam Institute for Peace and Justice in Washington, with the participation of 11 Arab countries through a group of activists and institutions active in peacebuilding, tolerance, forgiveness, and reconciliation in the Arab region, with 35 participants. The official network launch ceremony included a presentation of the preliminary steps, which took approximately 8 months of preparation, coordination, meetings, and general agreements.
The announcement came at the conclusion of the coordinated conference held on 28-29 May in Amman, where a vision for the network's operation and the course of its activities in the coming period was established.
The director of the Salam Institute for Peace and Justice, Dr. Mohammed Abu-Nimer, stated that "This network was created with the efforts of active participants in the Arab region, particularly from areas affected by conflicts and civil wars". Dr. Abu-Nimer added that "This is a clear indication that our people in the Arab region have a strong belief in the importance of stabilizing the situation in our region, due to the severe consequences resulting from these wars, whether economic, social or political."
Regarding the network announcement, Abu-Nimer confirmed that "If this network operates without challenges, it will contribute to providing solutions to the crises in the Arab region affected by conflicts and wars, which may contribute to beginning to build more cohesive societies in the affected areas and restructuring societal, cultural, economic, and political structures."
On his part, the general director of the Hayat Center - RASED, Dr. Amer Bani Amer, said that concurrently with the launch of this network, "Our Arab region is more in need of such types of networks, especially in areas that have witnessed conflicts and civil wars," emphasizing the continued efforts of the Hayat Center - RASED and the Salam Institute for Peace and Justice and partners, in seeking through this network to contribute to providing practical and realistic solutions to solve many of the conflicts and wars in our Arab region.
Bani Amer added that this network was not a result of one day, but rather has been worked on intensively over the past 8 months in cooperation between the Hayat Center - RASED, the Salam Institute for Peace and Justice, and a group of partners in the region, especially those who suffered or were affected by wars and conflicts in recent years. The network will seek to find an important role for civil institutions and maximize their contribution to official efforts and solidarity with all efforts through building the capacities of civil institutions to be leaders in the fields of reconciliation, construction, and societal cohesion.
The Hayat Center - RASED is an organization that operates at the Arab regional level, working to enhance good governance and political reform and activate principles of public participation, as well as peace and societal cohesion. As for the Salam Institute for Peace and Justice, it is an international organization committed to building peace, resolving conflicts, researching reconciliation and forgiveness, and training in the Arab world. The Institute was established in 2003 and has been at the forefront of efforts to enhance social cohesion and promote sustainable peace in the world.
