Politics and Governance

The EastWest Institute’s Brussels Center hosted Dr. Seyed Mohammad Kazem Sajjadpour, Deputy Foreign Minister for Research and Education of the Islamic Republic of Iran and President of the Iranian Institute of Political and International Studies (IPIS), at a roundtable on “Iran's Perspective on Future Relations with Its Neighbors” on April 4, 2017.

Participants attended from Brussels-based European institutions, academia, and think tanks. Dr. Sajjadpour outlined the principles of Iranian relations with its neighboring states and focused on the question of how and in which terms these can be understood, explaining the multidimensionality of the Islamic Republic’s relationships with its neighbors and stating the need of realistic assumptions on Iranian foreign policy. Dr. Sajjadpour’s presentation was followed by a Q&A session focusing on potential areas of further regional and global cooperation as well as the Iranian view on regional conflicts and the country’s bilateral relationship.

Click here to read Sajjadpour's last visit to EWI's Brussels Center in 2014.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping set out to visit U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida last week, the meeting’s potential for drama was clear. During Trump’s campaign for the presidency, he accused China of economically exploiting the United States. As president-elect, he suggested that his administration would call into question the United States’ “one China” policy toward Taiwan—a long-standing pillar of the relationship between Beijing and Washington. (Trump later reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the policy at Xi’s request.) And just before the summit, Trump remained critical of Beijing, writing on Twitter that he expected a “very difficult” meeting and telling reporters en route to Florida that China had treated the United States “unfairly.”

Considering this backdrop, the first U.S.–Chinese presidential meeting of the Trump administration went remarkably smoothly. There were no major blunders in protocol, and Trump even mustered some self-effacing humor, saying that he’d “gotten nothing, absolutely nothing” out of Xi at a dinner early in their talks. The friendly atmosphere and lack of speed bumps, however, doesn’t mean that the meeting produced major progress. Thanks in part to the Trump administration’s lack of preparation, the summit accomplished little aside from allowing the two leaders and their teams to get acquainted. Although the meeting did produce three notable outcomes—related to trade, the structure of bilateral diplomacy, and North Korea—those results did little to move bilateral ties forward and may have entrenched distrust between the two sides over North Korea.

Click here to read the full article on Foreign Affairs.

Munter said that America's European allies were concerned about the unpredictability of the Donald Trump administration and the impact that the questions about Russia's reported interference in the previous U.S. presidential election would have on American policy.

"The immediate cause is indeed the fact that the (FBI) investigations seem to indicate a certain attitute towards Russia, which is not the traditional thing that you find from Americans, Republicans and Democrats," said Munter in the April 2 interview.

Click here to listen to the full interview, beginning around the 9:20 mark.

Brussels, 6 April 2017 –The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the European Commission (EC) and the EastWest Institute (EWI) discussed today the development challenges and priorities in the Arab region, in particular the importance of youth empowerment as a new area of development cooperation in the region. Representatives of EU institutions, Arab Ambassadors to EU and members of the Brussels-based policy, development, and think tank community participated in the debate.

Anchored in the Arab Human Development Report (AHDR) 2016: Youth and the Prospects of Human Development in a Changing Reality, which UNDP published in November 2016, the debate examined links between the current priorities of the European Union, its individual institutions, and its member states, and the opportunities and challenges posed by the situation of youth in the Arab region.

Sixth in the series of AHDRs that UNDP has published since 2002, AHDR 2016 provides an evidenced-based overview on youth in the region. It underscores the demographic reality that the current youth cohort is largest the Arab region has ever witnessed. With two thirds of its 370 million inhabitants under the age of 30 and young people aged 15-29 years making up 30% of the Arab region’s total population of, this youth cohort is expected to dominate the development scene in the region for at least the next two decades.

“Our report argues that Arab countries can achieve a great leap forward in development, reinforce stability and secure such gains in a sustainable manner, if they adopt policies that give youth a significant stake in shaping their societies and put them at the center—politically, socially and economically,” stressed Mourad Wahba, Director of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Arab States. “Arab countries will need significant assistance to pursue such an ambitious development agenda. We are looking to our European partners to support this pursuit, which we believe aligns very well with current EU policy priorities and interests with regards to the Arab regions.”

The debate examined findings of the AHDR 2016 on the effects of conflicts raging across many of countries in the region, as well as barriers hindering youth’s enjoyment of essential basic services in education and health, and access to decent employment, on the overall prospects for the future of youth in the Arab region.

“This forum has offered interesting insights into how conflict and exclusion are the key drivers of youth mobility in the region, compelling young people to seek a safer and better life elsewhere,” said Marjeta Jager, Deputy Director General for International Cooperation and Development in the EC. “The new European Consensus on Development considers youth as a key driver for achieving SDGs. We also encourage our partners to further invest in education, and use it as a tool for promoting peace, tolerance and cultural diversity. With a total portfolio of EUR 5.4 billion, the EU is a key donor in supporting the achievement of SDG4.”

The debate also considered means to operationalize the report’s call on Arab states to invest in a new youth-oriented development model that simultaneously builds young people’s capabilities and expands opportunities available to them, while prioritizing the achievement of peace and security at national and regional levels.

“The development model that the report suggests for youth empowerment makes sense, but it requires structural changes that may prove difficult for many Arab countries to implement,” explained Kawa Hassan, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program in EWI. “European experiences in making public policies more youth-friendly and in formulating specific youth-oriented policies, may prove useful to Arab countries that are interested to heed the call of the AHDR 2016. Many European institutions will be happy to facilitate such critical experience exchange.”

For more information, please contact:

UNDP    

Ludmila Tiganu, Communications Specialist, UN/UNDP Brussels. E-mail: ludmila.tiganu@undp.org  Tel: +32 2 213 82 96

European Commission

Jörel Strömgren, Team leader, Communication and Transparency unit, Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development. E-mail: joerel.stroemgren@ec.europa.eu  Tel: +32-2-295 69 39

EastWest Institute

Lana Schmidt-Goertz, Program Assistant. E-mail: lsg@eastwest.ngo Tel: +32 2 743 46 22

About the Arab Human Development Reports (AHDRs)

The AHDRs engage institutions and citizens in Arab countries in analysis and discussion about factors which shape the choices and freedoms available to people across the region, so as to foster understanding and consensus around regional and national development priorities. They identify disadvantaged groups within the region, and suggest policies, strategies and opportunities for their empowerment. The Reports spur public debates and mobilize support for action and change through processes of consultation, research and report writing. They target policy-makers, opinion leaders and civil societies. AHDRs have helped to articulate perceptions and priorities in the region, and have served as a source of alternate policy opinion for development planning across varied themes.

About UNDP

UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in some 177 countries and territories, we offer a global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

About the European Commission

The European Commission is the executive institution of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU. The Commission's Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) is responsible for designing European international cooperation and development policy and delivering aid throughout the world.

About the EastWest Institute

The EastWest Institute (EWI) is an independent NGO that works to reduce international conflict, addressing seemingly intractable problems that threaten world security and stability. EWI is recognized and trusted for its unique capacity to bring together key policymakers, experts, business leaders and ground-breaking innovators—forging new connections, driving dialogue and introducing sustainable solutions.

In this video, EWI President & CEO Cameron Munter talks about a new direction for diplomacy as the 21st century presents a wide array of new global challenges.

“As we often say at the EastWest Institute, just as wars are too important to be left to the generals, diplomacy is way too important to be left just to the diplomats,” says Munter.

In the 21st century, Munter says, many problems defy simple state-to-state solutions such as refugees, climate change, nuclear proliferation, cybersecurity and counterterrorism. “You need to have participation by a number of people and how do you organize that? That’s what we discuss when we get together and talk about diplomacy.”

On March 15-17 in West Sussex, the EastWest Institute collaborated with UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Wilton Park to organize a series of in-depth exploration of this new diplomacy. The expert exchange, called “New Diplomacy”, brought together 50 practitioners to delve into new approaches to decentralized diplomacy. Among the participants were senior diplomats, representatives from business, media, foundations, multilateral and regional bodies, academia, alumni networks and diaspora.

“I’m very pleased that the EastWest Institute can be the leader in pushing for the new diplomacy, pulling together different people and different types of institutions, so that when we address problems, we’re not doing it alone,” notes Munter.

The full report by Wilton Park can be accessed here.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the European Commission and in collaboration with the EastWest institute, will present the Arab Human Development Report 2016 (AHDR): Youth and the Prospects of Human Development in a Changing Reality, on Thursday, April 6, 2017 in Brussels. Watch the livestream here.

The event in Brussels aims to highlight the opportunities and challenges that are outlined in the ADHR. The formal launch and presentation of report will be followed by a panel discussion involving representatives of the EU institutions, the United Nations, the Islamic Development Bank and Middle East experts and analyst, with a focus on youth and conflict prevention as an entry point to the discussion.

The Arab Human Development report is a holistic and comprehensive overview of the situation of youth and the prospects for human development in a constantly changing environment and reality that started with the wave of protests across the region in 2011. The point of departure of the report is the demographic fact that the current youth generation is the largest youth cohort this region has had over the past 50 years, making up 30% of its population of 370 million. The report argues that Arab countries can achieve a great leap forward in development, reinforce stability and secure such gains in a sustainable manner, if they adopt policies that give youth a stake in shaping their societies and put them at the center—politically, socially and economically.

The AHDR 2016 calls upon Arab countries to invest in their young people and empower them to engage in the development process as an urgent and critical priority in its own right and prerequisite to achieving sustainable development—a call that is particularly timely as Arab countries embark on formulating their plans to meet the goals of the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. The report also calls for a youth-oriented development model that focuses simultaneously on building young people’s capabilities and expanding opportunities available to them, considering the achievement of peace and security at national and regional levels as a prerequisite for a future fit for youth.

The discussion will aim to make the link between the current priorities of the European Union, the individual institutions, and member states, and the opportunities and challenges posed by the situation of youth in the Arab region.

The focus of the discussion will be on the following areas of the ADHR 2016:

• The Effects war and violent conflict on youth
• Public services in health and education
• Exclusion, mobility, and migration
• Education and transition to work
• Looking forward: building on the youth’s capabilities and expanding their opportunities

Providing a cost-benefit analysis for target audience:

• Provide financial figures to outline the best and worst case scenarios in cases of intervention and nonintervention from the side of the EU.
• Address demographic change and rapid urbanization in the Maghreb and the effect on possible migration patterns, using concrete figures and forecasts.
• Link demographic shifts and state and institutional fragility to aid in early conflict anticipation
• What solutions and actions are required from the EU side to avoid worst case scenario?

The patterns of migration and profile of young migrants to the Western OECD countries will be of high interest for the EU, in light of the large influx of refugees in 2015-2016. Given the complexity of conflicts and lack of sustainable solutions, it is expected that refugee and migration waves will continue in the years ahead. The AHDR examines youth’s reasons to migrate and possible exclusion factors, and envisages the role of migration policies in receiving or sending states, before emphasizing the role of inclusion in the migration process. Better understanding of the problems and challenges in sending states can help the EU in its cooperative efforts with regional governments to counteract the reasons (root causes) for conflict and migration, and presenting a cost-benefit analysis with potential ‘worst-case scenarios’ can serve as an alarm signal.

Agenda for the event in Brussels:

Presentation of the Arab Human Development Report

Mr. Adel Abdelllatif, Senior Strategic Advisor, Bureau for Arab States, UNDP

Discussion Panel

Mrs. Marjeta Jager, Deputy Director General, DG DEVCO

Mr. Maciej Popowski, Deputy Director General, DG NEAR

Mr. Mourad Wahba, Regional Director of the Bureau for Arab States, UNDP

Mr. Ahmed Hariri, Regional Manager - Middle East, Islamic Development Bank

Ms. Rosa Balfour, Acting Director of the Europe Program, German Marshall Fund

Moderator

Mr. Kawa Hassan, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program, EastWest Institute

Event details and Registration.