Project Officer attends Hammamet Conference and holds Roundtable in Tunis, 12 - 16 November 2015

Forward Thinking's Project Officer, Harry Higginson, attended the fourth meeting of the British Council's Hammamet Conference, 12th - 15th November 2015, which explored the theme "Cultivating Inclusion and Countering Exclusion."The Hammamet Conference is an annual meeting, convened by the British Council, to facilitate dialogue and progress in relations between the UK and North Africa. It brings together new and established leaders from the worlds of business, civil society, media and government to engage in dialogue, build new relationships and identify solutions to critical issues.This year's Conference explored the challenges associated with inclusion and exclusion by highlighting and sharing solutions around the three sub-themes: the price of exclusion; culture, power, values and voice; and reconnecting states and societies.In addition to attending the Hammamet Conference, Harry held meetings in Tunis throughout the 16th with individuals from across the political spectrum. This included convening a roundtable workshop with youth activists to both discuss the current challenges facing young people in Tunisia, and to identify the themes that should be discussed in the forthcoming period. Several issues were discussed extensively, including: how local elections could provide an avenue for increasing youth opportunity; the need to develop a holistic approach to counter extremism; and the growing dissatisfaction of many young Tunisians with the performance of the Habib Essid government.