The Arab Democracy Foundation (ADF) 2007

The Arab Democracy Foundation (ADF) is an independent initiative by peoples of the Arab region to channel resources to causes that strengthen their democracy transitions. The mechanism by which ADF accomplishes its aims is strategic grant –making, augmented by advocacy, networking andknowledge transfer.

The Foundation believes that its primary impact lies in stimulating and supporting innovation in the programs of Arab civil society organizations (CSOs) and citizens' initiatives. Qualified groups will be assisted to strengthen their institutional capacities, engage in promoting democratic values, and awareness- raising, participate in important public policy debates to prepare their societies for a transition to democratic governance, work against all forms of social and political exclusion, and increase their ability to serve their communities.

ADF draws ideas and legitimacy from a broad base of Arab civil society groups, as well as providing a bridge between them and the best practices found in international development and democracy fields. It is led by a distinguished board of Arab and international figures who have demonstrated leadership in the fields of development, citizen participation, and democratic governance. The work of ADF is subject to regular review by its constituency. This is enshrined in an Emiri Decree in its host country of Qatar. Baseline data from the UN Arab Human Development Reports and the 2004 World Values Survey for Arab Countries, as well as the results of periodic regional meetings of civil society activists enables ADF to formulate regional strategies and country–specific partnerships for promotion of democracy and civil engagement. An established baseline, deriving from the 2007 Doha Conference on Arab Reform and Democracy, and its updates, make it possible to periodically measure the impact of ADFs work. Benchmarks for assessing the Foundations progress and impacts are seen as early tasks of ADF. A unique aspect of ADF is that it represents a direct response of the Arab civil society community to a felt need for an indigenous source of support for the democratic transitions, undertaken by Arab organizations committed to achieving it, including regional network, national and local organizations of civil society, and individual activists. Some 400 independent CSOs and 100 public figures are contributing to refine the strategic goals of ADF and establish its mechanisms of responsiveness, transparency, and effective partnership. It is a goal of the Foundation to double that core partnership every year. Institutional partners receive the benefits of association with ADF which include professional support, information and access to competitive funding opportunities for their programs.

ADF issues an annual public report, distributed widely and posted on its website. An early task of the Foundation was to design mechanisms that solicit feedback from its constituencies to enhance and improve its work. Every three years the Secretary General of ADF reports on the Foundation's activities and outcomes to the Arab Democracy and Reform Forum in its periodic meetings.