The EU-funded project ‘Majalat II: Fostering structured dialogue between the EU and civil society in the Southern Neighbourhood’ aims to ensure that policy solutions to key social and political challenges in the Southern Neighbourhood are identified and agreed upon by fostering an inclusive structured dialogue between civil society organisations and a wide range of national and EU interlocutors. The project will run for three years and will be implemented by a consortium led by EuroMed Rights (EMR) and including Forum des Alternatives Maroc (FMAS) and Legal Agenda (LA).

Majalat II builds on the results of the first phase of Majalat, which ran from February 2018 to September 2021, adopting a similar regional approach and building on the extensive network of civil society partners that has been established in the four target countries – Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan and Lebanon. Project activities will also involve key stakeholders from the region (Algeria, Egypt, Israel and Palestine, Libya and Syria, as well as diaspora organisations).

Through a cycle of capacity building sessions, thematic workshops, Southern regional seminars, culminating in the annual Brussels Civil Society Forum, the grant will provide a unique opportunity for civil society organisations (CSOs) from the Middle East and North Africa to engage with national and European policy makers and share a wide range of recommendations related to three target themes: (1) governance, democracy and human rights; (2) climate change and social justice; and (3) judicial independence and transparency. These themes were chosen because they reflect the expertise and experience of the three project partners and their local networks, gained through Majalat I and multiple bilateral programmes in the Southern Neighbourhood.