“Diversity is what we have. Inclusion is making
diversity work.” So said one participant last year
during the session Getting Transition Right: A Rightsbased
Approach to Diversity and Inclusion. The Middle East
and North Africa (MENA) region is unquestionably
more than just “Arab” or “Muslim” (despite oft-made
assumptions by many outside of the region); and since
the upheavals of 2011, opportunities have arisen to
make these diverse societies more inclusive. But how?
That was the question that faced over 40 civil society activists, academics, donors
and budding policy-makers who came together in Salzburg, Austria, in November
2013 for the aforementioned session [see www.salzburgglobal.org/go/508/report]. Over
the course of five days, they took the opportunity to retreat from the hectic work
in “post-revolution” Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Yemen, and to take stock and
formulate plans to help make their countries more inclusive and accepting of
their long-established diverse communities.
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