Regional Briefing: Contemporary Arab World: Present and Future

The 2011 Global Donors Conference will feature region-specific briefings so participants can gain a sense of the top trends in the areas they fund, and have an opportunity to meet other people who are also funding in that part of the world. Here is a preview of one of briefings!

Topic: Contemporary Arab World: Present and Future

Presenter: Marwa Maziad, Fellow Middle East Center, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington

Description: On April 1st I will be giving a regional briefing on the Middle East, with a focus on “Contemporary Arab World: Present and Future,” after a two-week fieldtrip to Egypt. The Arab World is undergoing massive transformation that will have long-lasting consequences in establishing a new relationship between citizens and government, in these countries. This change is both positive and inevitable. Arabs have revolted armed only by their youthfulness and their use of technology, in a quest for liberty and dignity as citizens. This is a transformation the entire world is eager to support.

In my briefing, I will focus on Egypt as a significant country in the Arab world, the Middle East, and International affairs. What opportunities might ensue for global philanthropists to catch a “Revolutionary Train” that has already left the station? How can Arab values of liberty and dignity intersect with the values of foundations and organizations in the Pacific Northwest in order to instill new partnerships, alliances, and coalitions that exceed mere “charity” or “donation”, given the existing riches of the Arab world, but rather foster sustained “philanthropic” ties in promotion of the well-being of all humans? And what are some of the best practices in international grantmaking, specifically in the Arab context? It seems that an “Emerging Democratic Arab World” is an idea whose time has come, and as Victor Hugo said “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” This briefing will highlight and answer questions regarding the context in which opportunities could emerge for philanthropists interested in supporting this powerful idea.

Keynote Speaker Confirmed: Greg Carr, Philanthropist & Human Rights Activist

We are pleased to announce that one of the keynote speeches at the Pacific NW Global Donors Conference will be delivered by entrepreneur, human rights activist and philanthropist, Gregory C. Carr.

Greg Carr is leading a bold philanthropic venture to restore Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, which was once described as the place “where Noah left his ark”. The Carr Foundation has committed $40 million dollars over 30 years to protect and restore the park’s ecosystem, and to help develop an eco-tourism industry in the communities surrounding the park. By reintroducing animal species (elephants, hippos and other bulk grazers) to the land, creating jobs within the park, funding schools and health clinics and training local farmers, the Carr Foundation (in it’s partnership with the government of Mozambique) has embarked on an ambitious restoration effort.

Carr’s environmental work in Africa is supplemented by his commitment to human rights in the Pacific NW. Born and raised in Idaho, Carr purchased the Aryan Nations compound in Northern Idaho, following a successful lawsuit by the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of two victims of attacks by security guards near the compound. The lawsuit effectively bankrupted the far-right white supremacist organization. He then dismantled the compound, turned it into a peace park and signed the deed over to the North Idaho College Foundation in 2002.

We invite you to read more about Greg Carr and his philanthropic ventures and work as a human rights activist. Carr has been profiled in Outside Magazine, The New Yorker, Smithsonian, and featured on CBS’s 60 Minutes.

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear Greg Carr speak at the 2011 Pacific NW Global Donors Conference on April 1, 2011. Register now!