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 Salam Institute for Peace and Justice in Washington and the Jordanian Hayat Center – RASED, 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 eight months of preparation, coordination, meetings, and general agreements.
The announcement came after 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.
“This network was created with the efforts of active participants in the Arab region, particularly from areas affected by conflicts and civil wars” – Dr. Mohammed Abu-Nimer, President of the Salam Institute for Peace and Justice
Dr. Abu-Nimer added “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.”
“Our Arab region is more in need of such types of networks, especially in areas that have witnessed conflicts and civil wars” – Dr. Amer Bani Amer, the general director of the Hayat Center – RASED
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 eight 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.
