Forward Thinking (charity)

src: www.forward-thinking.org

Advanced Thought is a charitable organization that deals with issues related to the Middle East Peace Process and religious/secular dialogue.

Video Forward Thinking (charity)

Goals and Programs

It has three main goals

• To promote a more inclusive peace process in the Middle East
• To facilitate political dialogue in, and between, the Arab/Muslim world and the Western World.
• To promote in the UK a greater understanding and trust between diverse grassroots Muslim communities and the wider community

and two main areas of activity

• Middle East Program.
• Political Dialogue

Middle East Program

The main focus of Forward Thinking work in the Middle East is to promote a more inclusive peace process through dialogue with key Israeli and Palestinian stakeholders and previously uninvolved political/religious leaders. Future Thinking works to engage with those who are perceived as religious or political "hardliners", with the belief that lasting peace agreements in the region require the full participation of all religious and political leaders at every stage of the process.

The main keys of Forward Thinking in the Middle East Program are:

• To identify issues that prevent solutions to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict at the regional and international level
• To consolidate our relationship with Israeli and Palestinian militant groups and hard-line political leaders
• To develop a wider network of contacts in the region among the main political and religious leaders
• To abbreviate governments and other interested parties about our activities and offer internal analysis of recent events
• To provide a safe space for dialogue from the region.

Political Dialogue

The Political Dialogue of Future Thinking refers to the spaces they provide for promoting dialogue among diverse constituencies, to work toward the development of a broader understanding, mutual respect and strengthening of coexistence.

Thinking Forward strives to work at various levels and in diverse settings, involving key constituents from interfaith and secular, including: government officials, parliamentarians, political leaders, prominent figures from the financial/business community and civil society activists. Through this active mediation, Thinking Forward efforts to bring together leaders who have real constituencies within their communities to try and bridge the gaps that are often considered insurmountable. They try to facilitate engagement and design a process that aims to move from "dialogue to action". Through dialogue, participants can find a minimum level of consensus that allows them to act together in promoting the desired goals together.

Thinking Ahead has several different political dialogues, including:

Tunisia Process

In Tunisia, Future Thinking has shaped and facilitated an ongoing dialogue focused on the support of political leaders to develop a sufficient consensus to overcome challenges and to trust risks that hinder the political transition to a fully multi-party democratic state.

Policy Forum

Forward Thinking has initiated a regional dialogue that brings together senior political, government and economic officials from across Europe and the Arab/Muslim world. The aim is to address some of the emerging political and economic challenges that can shake the countries in transition. By providing regular space for an open and honest exchange, our goal is to create a network of influential leaders who can help deepen shared understanding and develop more informative and creative policy responses.

Future Thinking is also in the process of building a wider network of secular and religious political leaders from across Arab/Muslim to meet regularly with European and US parliamentarians and diplomats, enabling them to examine alongside the challenges and misperceptions caused by religious and secular political divisions that some claims support most of the political instability in MENA and the Gulf region.

Working in the UK

In the UK, Thinking Forward continues to advise grassroots Muslim communities about how to engage with both formation and wider British society without fear of losing their faith identity. They have developed a large network of community leaders representing the cultural and religious diversity of the Muslim community in Britain.

Maps Forward Thinking (charity)

Staff

Founder and director of Forward Thinking is Oliver McTernan. Oliver has an established background in conflict resolution and interreligious relations. She was a guest guest at the International Weather Center at Harvard University 2000-2003. He was also responsible for starting the first post-conflict talks between NATO and the previous Yugoslav government. He broadcasts regularly on radio and television.

Julian Weinberg is responsible for managing the Political Dialogue of Thinking Forward. Before taking his position in October 2010, Julian is a Senior Middle East Analyst with political risks and strategic advisors. In September 2009, Julian returned from Damascus after studying Arabic and worked as a freelance journalist for 18 months.

src: benek.nz

Funding

Future thinking is funded by a variety of sources including: the Swiss Foreign Ministry, the European Union, the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a number of private Trust and donors.

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References

Source of the article : Wikipedia