Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights conducted the 1st network meeting 2014 entitled "The National Network Role in Promoting Dialogue in the Egyptian Community - The Needs to Promote the Culture of Dialogue" on August 23rd, 2014. The meeting came in the framework of the Strategic Network Development Scheme – Step 6 implemented by Maat Foundation in its capacity as the Head of Network and generously supported by the Euro-Mediterranean Anna Lindh Foundation for the Dialogue Between Cultures.
The implementation of Step 6 activities continues between November 2013 and October 2014 and composes two network meetings for the network members/non-members, in addition to the network activity entitled "Try to Communicate - Hawel Tetthawr" which consists of a training workshop; booklet production and theatric performance.
The meeting hosted 57 representative for member/non-member organizations, as well as working donor agencies in Egypt and scholars and experts. The second network meeting is foreseen in October 2014 and will gather the network members who were not able to attend the first meeting.
The meeting was inaugurated by a presentation from the Head of Network on the past year upddates, it included the development and increase of the member organizations number, the results of the Board of Trustees meetings, the results of the HoN meetings with the ALF Secretariat, a brief on the HoN attendance to the local and international conferences and events, and the accomplishments and challenges faced by the HoN over the past period.
The meeting also included a presentation to some donor agencies programs and plans such as Diakonia and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and experts in business development and partnership building companies such Beit Al Karma Consulting.
The attendance of a selected group of academics to present their views on the meeting topic enriched the meeting including: Dr. Iqbal Elsamalouty, President of Future Eve Association who addressed "dialogue between the composing cultures of the Egyptian community fabric and its importance in the development process"; Dr. Sameh Fawzy, Director of Development Studies Center at Bibliotheca Alexandrina who addressed "the importance of CSOs in managing meaningful community dialogue as one of the development roles for non-governmental organizations"; Dr. Rashad Abdel Lateef, former Social Service Professor and Vice President at Helwan University who discussed "social dialogue and leaving the community violence phenomenon"; and Dr. Moamen Mahmoud Mohammad, representative of Alawqaf Ministry who presented "social peace and dialogue from religious perspective".
The meeting sought to network between the ALF network members and the willing organizations to join the network, provide partnership opportunities with donor agencies, provide the participants with the adequate tools to conduct dialogue in their local communities, in addition to receive proposals and recommendation on developing the network in the future.