Click here to see Program from Day One of Meeting

During the Arab revolutions, activists learned from each other, and Arab governments also learned from each other – new methods of suppression and intimidation. Creating a venue for Arab bloggers from all Arab countries to meet face to face will allow them to come to the realization that they are all in the same boat and have to forge more relations and create coalitions amongst themselves to face new realities and future challenges.

 
Digital activism has played a crucial role in the recent uprisings across the Arab world. Internet activists in Arab countries today are more aware of their potential influence and power, and are increasingly looking at how to become engaged in transitional democracy, transparency and governance strategies.

With the Arab revolutions continuing in Tunisia and Egypt, and protests and rebellions continuing further across the region, citizen journalists have become among the only few credible voices of keeping the world abreast of such developments and coordinating efforts on the ground.

In December 2009 the Heinrich Boell Foundation (hbs) and Global Voices Online (GV) organized the Second Arab Blogger’s Meeting (AB09) which succeeded in building an alliance of bloggers and activists who supported each other before, during and after what is one of the most turbulent political moments in the region’s recent history. We now hope to build on that success, addressing the significant challenges that still exist for freedom of speech and censorship, while raising the level of ambition for what digital citizens can achieve working together in this transitional era of democracy.

As hbs and GV are convinced that it is important to further support initiatives of the Arab Blogosphere and provide Arab bloggers with the space to strengthen their impact on society, amplify silenced voices and add diversity to the field of information and activism, the two organizations will organize the Third Arab Bloggers Meeting (AB11) during 3-6 October 2011 in collaboration with Nawaat de Tunisie. As with AB09, AB11’s overall objective will be to enable face-to-face exchange, and to coach bloggers on how to leave their imprint on the international blogging sphere, make their voices heard, and to organize online and offline campaigns to pressure governments to stop censorship and restricting freedom of expression as well as build the mechanisms for debating transitional democracy, transparency and governance strategies.

Another main goal for AB11 is to build and develop expertise and capacities, equip bloggers with skills and professional experience to meet the new challenges and continue to cement relations between Arab bloggers in order for them to build coalitions and continue to support each other over the next phase of their collective work together or individually.

Bloggers, many of whom are activists and opinion leaders in their communities, will have to work together and with their readers in order to identify the broad issues in their countries and help shape the conversations and thus affect change in their societies.

This year’s event will address an exhaustive list of issues, which will be determined by the bloggers attending this bar camp event, where the agenda is set by the delegates. The fourday event will kick off with a conference on the first day, where keynote speakers will address issues like IT policies; digital activism; the role of social media in a transitional democracy; why the revolution has succeeded in Tunisia and Egypt and struggled and stalled elsewhere; and other issues. In addition to bloggers, experienced journalists, IT security experts, human rights activists and lawyers and cyber-activists active on the political sphere will shape the agenda of the following days of the event, sharing their experiences and exchanging expertise with the delegates; and forging friendships and relations which will go a long way in ensuring the continuity of the work started in the First Arab Bloggers Meeting in 2008.