Young liberal leaders from around the MENA region convened last weekend to take part in the second online session of Liberal International’s Democratic Training Academy (LIDTA), which was established this year in partnership with VVD International. Representatives of eight countries took part in a morning of discussion on freedom of expression hosted by MEP and Renew Group Vice President Katalin Cseh.
Main Outcomes:
• Participants engaged in discussion of freedom of expression and the role of the media during a crisis with MEP and Renew Group Vice President Dr. Katalin Cseh;
• Participants were given a space to discuss democratic legitimacy and societal issues with their peers.
The sessions
Over a period of three weekends, participants are taken through a series of trainings delivered by experts in their respective fields. Participants, using information from the debate training and content lectures they receive, will grow their political skills; and they will have time to think about what personal characteristics and attributes drive them to fight for liberal values, as well as beginning work on interpersonal skills essential for any budding politician.
The political connections & networking
In today’s world, liberal politicians must communicate with each other, whether it be within their communities, countries or at the international level. It is essential, especially in the MENA region, that liberals develop a network of support and collaboration that they can rely on to help grow their message at home. This is why one of the main focuses of LIDTA is to foster connections not only between participants of the course, but also allow for connections to be made with professional politicians from the region. Throughout the training, participants are given the opportunity to meet with and discuss political issues with members of the international liberal community.
Liberals believe that connected communities, at every level, are essential to ensure our continued growth and prosperity; bringing together the future leaders of our societies must be started now in order to build the interconnectedness necessary to remain economically, politically, and socially viable in an ever more globalised world.
The future
The group will meet again at the end of June 2020 to debate the media’s role in the COVID-19 crisis with liberal politicians as the panel judges; this will be the last session in a series of three that have been designed to improve the public speaking and political thinking of participants.
The purpose of the Academy is to build a network in the region, for participants as well as for internationally minded liberal organisations; cycling through participants has no value if the skills they are taught cannot be continued to be supported once they graduate.
Liberal International believes that empowering a young generation of liberal leaders with skills and political training is the best way to lay the foundation for a robust liberal network to flourish in the region. We, as the global international federation, have a duty to support the efforts of liberal groups around the world, particularly in areas where liberalism is still not a given.
