Arab-European Young Leaders Forum

The Arab-European Young Leaders Forum is a joint initiative between the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs and the Arab League. In follow-up to the successful first Forum in Vienna in 2010, the second edition took place back-to-back with the EU-LAS ministerial meeting in November 2012 in Cairo. 25 young leaders between 25 and 40 discussed the role of media and civil society in countries in transformation. During workshops, participants had the opportunity to exchange experience and provide feed-back on questions related to project management and communications, as well as to develop future cooperation.  Through a number of field trips, attendees gained valuable insight into local initiatives. A special highlight of the Forum was the possibility to attend the opening session of the EU-LAS summit. On the occasion of an evening reception, young leaders from politics, business, and civil society met with the Austrian Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger, whom they engaged with in fruitful discussions about the Forum, its objectives and activities.