Annual Report 2019
Our Annual Report 2021 provides a summary of our activities throughout the year, and includes analysis from our Director, Oliver McTernan, and Sir Jeremy Greenstock. Below is a message from our Chairman, William Sieghart CBE:
Working in the world of conflict mediation is always challenging but the past 12 months have been particularly testing in the Middle East. War continues to afflict large parts of the Arab world, destroying lives and frustrating the ambitions of the region’s talented young people for a better life. Relations between Iran and its neighbours in the Gulf remain fraught and could yet spill into a wider escalation. Meanwhile the current policies of the United States have appeared to inflame, rather than cool, tensions.
Despite the difficulties that Forward Thinking’s team face, our work has continued and had a meaningful impact. In the Middle East, despite two time consuming elections in 2019, we have continued to provide those on the Israeli right with opportunities to reflect on the challenges they face in leading their constituencies at a durable, realistic settlement to the conflict. We have also maintained our work aimed at informing the Palestinian political debate about overcoming internal divisions, managing and resolving conflict and power sharing in the Palestinian interest.
We have developed our engagement with high level officials in Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey through the Helsinki Policy Forum, including holding a meeting in New York during the UN general assembly as well as our regular meetings in Helsinki.
In the UK, our work with the Crown Prosecution Service has deepened significantly in this period, with dialogues resulting in them launching a number of work experience initiatives to increase the diversity of their workforce. We have also used this year to facilitate a number of conversations between British Muslim communities and the former Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, Max Hill QC, as well as the Independent Review of Prevent team.
Once again, on behalf of the trustees, I would like to congratulate the team for their astonishing commitment and hard work. In today’s troubled times their efforts are often a beacon in the darkness.