Emma Bonini

DOHA Regular interaction between human rights activists and organizations at the regional level will go a long way in improving awareness against rights abuse in this part of the world.

One of the major achievements of the forum on 'democracy and reform in the Arab world' is that it brings human rights activists and organizations from the region together, said a visiting Italian minister.

Emma Bonini, Italy's Minister for European Policies and International Trade who has been named a trustee of the Arab Foundation for Democracy which was launched here yesterday, said there was no or little South-South contact between these organizations and activists before.

"What we saw was that a human rights body in Egypt was in touch with its counterpart in the West, for instance, but it hardly knew its counterpart next door – in a neighbouring country," she said answering questions from The Peninsula at a news briefing.

But since this annual convention on 'democracy and reform in the Arab world' began in Yemen in 2004, things have changed. It has encouraged interaction between regional activists and organizations. "This is a very encouraging sign."

"I think exchanging experiences is important since every country has its own model," she said. "One model cannot be imposed on the other."

"In Europe, we have a stereotype image of Muslims and the Arab world, but the fact is that each country is different from the other." Bonini said she had enough exposure to the Arab world and understood its social sensitivities and problems well.