First of the New Arab Debates to be chaired in Tunis 20th October

If you missed the Doha debates then you shouldn’t miss this series onBBC World or via internet on Thursday.

Tim Sebastian chairs the first of ten “New Arab Debates” in Tunis on 20 October  British as confirmed by the British Embassy in Tunis.

“The role of Islamists in post-revolution Tunisia comes under the spotlight next week in a brand-new debating series – the first of its kind to benefit from the relaxation of censorship in parts of the Arab world.

Students and young professionals will assemble in Tunis to debate the motion:  ”This house believes that in their first free elections, Tunisians have nothing to fear from the Islamists.”

The debate will be held  on October 20th – just three days before Tunisians vote on a new constituent assembly – the first free elections in the region, since the Arab Spring began.

The New Arab Debates are a high profile platform to foster free speech and democratic accountablilty after the political revolutions in  Tunisia and Egypt.  The  series of  ten debates will be moderated by the well known journalist Tim Sebastian, who most recently fronted the ground breaking Doha debates after an award winning career at the BBC.  The project is funded by the British and Swedish governments and will encompass an extensive outreach campaign in schools and universities with the aim of encouraging young people to participate, through public debating, in the political development of their countries.

The first debate will be held in partnership with the Mediterranean Business School in Tunis.

The speakers for the first debate will be announced on Twitter  #newarabdebates  in the next few days and will include representatives of Ennahdha and the Progressive Party.

Commenting on the new initiative Tim Sebastian says: ” Having seen the transformation that a debating culture has brought to a generation of students in Doha, there could not be a more exciting project than to help young people participate and shape a new era of democracy in Tunisia and Egypt through the power of free speech and questioning”.

For those wishing to attend the debate, it will take place on Thursday October 20th at 7pm at the Mediterranean School of Business.

References: http://ukintunisia.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?view=PressR&id=670564682#.TpywnLJ8Mm4.facebook