Midden-Oostendag, Utrecht - Main contents
| date | November 26, 2016 10:00 - 17:00 |
|---|---|
| city | Utrecht |
| location | Academiegebouw Domplein 29  |
| attending | H.A. (Herman) Schaper i, Sj.W. (Sjoerd) Sjoerdsma i, C.P.W.J. (Petra) Stienen i, C.P.M. (Christ) Klep et al. |
| organisation | Democrats 66 (D66) i |
The fourth edition of the D66 Day of the Middle East will be held on Saturday 26 November 2016 in Utrecht. The event is open to everyone: attend and join the discussion! The Middle East continues to be a region in turmoil. Every day reports of the region’s conflicts make the news, but what about the stories of average people? Can this silent majority make lasting changes by speaking out?
We will explore opportunities for development in the Middle East and we will find out how local and international engagement can be a tool for change. Security, immigration and economic development pose challenges that are intertwined and far reaching. During the fourth edition of the Day of the Middle East, these issues will be addressed with a score of international experts. Join the discussion in Utrecht on 26 November!
Buy your tickets HERE. Tickets:Normal - 17,50 EURStudent - 12,50 EUR (please bring your student ID)The ticket price includes lunch, coffee & tea, drinks and snacks. Attend on Facebook.
Plenary programme: Petra Stienen (Host & Speaker)Petra Stienen will be the host of the Day of the Middle East this year and will furthermore share lessons learned from women activists in the Middle East on citizenship and gender equality. She is an author, independent advisor and Senator for D66. Petra Stienen has previously worked as a human rights diplomat at the Netherlands Embassies in Egypt and Syria from 1995-2004. After leaving the Foreign Ministry in 2009, she established her own business as an independent advisor for various clients in the field of democracy, diversity and diplomacy to the government, NGO’s and companies. Ms. Stienen is one of the thought leaders in the Netherlands on European relations with the Arab world. She is an established public speaker and has won a number of prestigious awards for her work.
Speech by Tarek OsmanTarek Osman is the senior political counselor for the Arab world and Turkey at the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development. He has lectured extensively on the Arab world and Islamism at leading universities in Europe and is a regular contributor to major newspapers and magazines worldwide. Mr Osman is the author of many books on the relation between Islam and public life in the Middle East. His latest work, “Islamism: What It Means for the Middle East and the World was published earlier this year.
Speech by Jan KizilhanJan Kizilhan is an internationally renowned expert on intercultural psychiatry and traumatology. Leading a humanitarian mission, Dr. Kizilhan has traveled many times over the past years to Syria, to save over a 1000 Yazidi women, many of whom former Da’esh/IS slaves, and bring them to Germany for treatment. Besides his impressive results in helping these women regain their hope for the future, Dr. Kizilhan also gained unique insight in the horrors of Da’esh/Islamic State. At the Day of the Middle East, he will share his experiences.
Opening Remarks by Sjoerd SjoerdsmaSjoerd Sjoerdsma is a Member of Parliament for D66 and spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Immigration & Asylum, Human Rights and International Criminal Justice. He is also D66’s Campaign Manager for the upcoming parliamentary elections in March 2017. Before becoming a politician in 2012, he has worked as a diplomat in the Palestinian Territories and was involved in the Dutch military missions in Sudan and Afghanistan.
Sjoerd Sjoerdsma i will provide the Opening Remarks at the Day of the Middle East. Roundtable on the Influence of the USA in the Middle EastJust recently, Donald Trump was elected in the US. How will the new presidency shape US foreign policy in the Middle East? We will use this opportunity at the Day of the Middle East to both reflect on Obama’s policies with regard to the Middle-East, and look forward to what Donald Trump could and might do in the next four years. This analysis will take place in consideration of EU action also: In what cases were the US and EU successful? When were they not? What can the influence of political decision-making of worlds’ superpowers be on the political, economic and societal environment of one single country such as Iran or Libya?
These and other questions will be discussed in depth by a panel consisting of the following experts:- Iyad El-Baghdadi - Entrepreneur, Author and Arab Spring Activist- Matt Steinglass - Europe Editor at ‘The Economist’- Herman Schaper - Senator for D66 and Former Diplomat- Marietje Schaake - MEP for D66- Bente Scheller - Director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s Middle East Office Cultural