JEDDAH, 26 August 2004 — Workshops for young Saudi men and women will be held in the Kingdom’s different regions ahead of the fourth national dialogue session on youth issues scheduled to be held in the Eastern Province in November.
Faisal ibn Muammar, secretary-general of the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue, told the Saudi Press Agency that a number of measures have been taken in preparation for the debate.
Muammar did not specify a definite date for the dialogue but said it would be held in the lunar month of Shawwal, which starts on Nov. 14.
“The preparation for this convention requires holding youth workshops across the Kingdom, with the participation of educational, health and sports institutions to figure out the themes that young men and women would like to address,” he said.
Preparatory workshops for young women will convene in women’s educational institutions under the supervision of female academics, he added.
Crown Prince Abdullah, who initiated the dialogue forum, had issued instructions for the November gathering under the theme “Youth Issues, Facts and Aspirations,” Muammar said, adding that it would be attended by prominent personalities.
The dialogue center has already started preparations for the convention as it organized two meetings of supervisors including academics from various parts of the country. The center is also preparing a directory of 20,000 prominent and influential academics, Islamic scholars and writers who are to supervise the workshops.
The first landmark round was held in Riyadh in June 2003 and ended with a call for wide-ranging reforms. It also led to the establishment of the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue, which hosted the second round in Makkah last December.
The third round brought together 70 male and female thinkers and researchers in Madinah last June to discuss “women’s rights and duties.” The proposals they adopted ranged from setting up a national body to oversee women’s affairs to facilitating their travel within the country.
