Socio-Economic Challenges and Opportunities: What Does the

EU-Middle East Forum (EUMEF)
Capacity Building Workshop
Scenario Planning and Strategic Policy Analysis
Socio-Economic Challenges and Opportunities: What Does
the Future Hold for Morocco and Tunisia?
Rabat, 20 - 23 November 2016
In Cooperation with:
Dear Candidate,
We kindly invite you to apply for the upcoming Capacity Building Workshop on “SocioEconomic Challenges and Opportunities: What Does the Future Hold for Morocco and
Tunisia?”, to be held from 20 - 23 November 2016 in Rabat, Morocco. The workshop is
organized by the EU-Middle East Forum (EUMEF) in close cooperation with the Robert Bosch
Stiftung, the German Federal Foreign Office, the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa),
Heinrich Böll Stiftung and the Rabat Social Studies Institute (RSSI). EUMEF is a dialogue and
learning platform at the Middle East and North Africa Program of the German Council on
Foreign Relations (DGAP).
The main protagonists and target group of the workshop are young and mid-level
professionals (aged around 27-40) with at least two years of professional work experience in
policy analysis or policy making in think tanks, academic research institutions, politics or
civil society, with a focus on Morocco or Tunisia. Participants should come from or currently
reside in Morocco, Tunisia, other countries of the MENA region, or the EU. The working
language of the workshop is English. Participants will become part of EUMEF’s alumni network
and receive information on professional activities of other alumni, grants, scholarships and future
events.
To apply, please submit the attached application form and a one-page outline of what you
perceive to be the greatest socio-economic challenges facing either Morocco or Tunisia
within the next ten years and what your main concerns are regarding the respective country’s
future development. Please read the call for applications as well as the application form carefully,
as they explain the details of the application procedure and the workshop. The application
deadline is 4 September 2016.
The organizers will cover accommodation and provide for travel subsidies based on participants’
country of residence (maximum 350€ for participants travelling from the EU, 400€ for
participants travelling from Tunisia or other countries of the MENA region and 50€ for
participants based in Morocco).
Please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] in case you have any further questions.
We look forward to receiving your application.
Sincerely,
Dr. Harald Kindermann
Ambassador (Ret.)
General Secretary
German Council on Foreign Relations
Sarah Hartmann
Acting Head of Program
Middle East and North Africa
German Council on Foreign Relations
I.
Outline
In 2011, people across the Middle East and North Africa took to the streets to protest the
precarious socio-economic conditions in their countries. The slogan “bread, freedom, and social
justice” expressed their central demand for a life in dignity based on better education and
employment opportunities. The protests unquestionably brought about significant political
change in many countries. However, five years after the uprisings, protesters’ central socioeconomic demands remain largely unmet. Poverty, significant inequalities in the job market, and
high rates of unemployment and underemployment, especially among university graduates, carry
the risk of further destabilizing an already volatile region.
Despite Tunisia’s political progress and its continuing democratization efforts, the country’s
socioeconomic policies have not witnessed major developments since 2010. The persisting
economic, social, and political marginalization of rural areas does not only hinder Tunisia’s
economic development but has provided a fruitful ground for radical groups, who
instrumentalize existing grievances and people’s lack of perspective in order to recruit new
members. The growing gap between developed urban centers and marginalized rural areas, the
disconnection of large parts of the population, particularly Tunisian youth, from the political
process, and the overall absence of strong leadership have resulted in a crisis of state legitimacy.
The recent increase in the number of demonstrations in Tunisia’s interior and southern
governorates underline the country’s dire need for socio-economic reforms that foster economic
development and focus on the integration of marginalized groups and regions into the labor
market.
Notwithstanding structural differences in their economic and educational sectors, Morocco and
Tunisia face comparable challenges with regard to employment policies. Similar to the Tunisian
hinterland, the underdevelopment of the southern provinces constitutes a fundamental security,
economic, and political concern for the Moroccan state. Moreover, youth unemployment rates of
up to 18 percent, young people’s dependency on the informal sector, and geographical disparities
call for new policies, especially in the field of education, in order to increase employment
opportunities and to form a competitive workforce that matches the needs of the labor market.
Even though a number of reforms have been introduced since the popular protests in 2011,
these have focused primarily on advancing greater political representation and participation.
Fundamental issues underlying many of Morocco’s socio-economic problems, such as
corruption, favoritism and geographical marginalization, have remained largely unchallenged until
now.
In order to counter regional instabilities and radicalization, the Maghreb states, together with
their European partners, must develop strategies to achieve inclusive economic growth based on
social justice, participation, and sustainability. Improving socio-economic conditions in the
regions will not only benefit the Maghreb states, but would also help to ease migration flows
from North Africa to Europe – an issue, which has been at the top of EU policy makers’
agendas. Many relevant questions emerge: How can the disparities between urban and rural areas
be reduced and eventually overcome? What is the role of the informal sector? To what degree
can women’s participation in the labor force be increased and what would be the most effective
policies to promote gender equality? In which way could a stronger cooperation with Europe
result in positive outcomes for Tunisian, Moroccan, and European communities?
The scenario workshop aims to address these and related questions, while introducing
participants from Morocco, Tunisia, other MENA countries and the EU to the technique of
scenario planning. The methodology of scenario planning is particularly suitable to analyze
complex problems and to deal with strategic challenges in unpredictable environments.
Participants will tackle pressing issues by untangling complex systems, thinking about alternative
futures, assessing potential consequences, and developing options for action. Scenario workshops
provide a platform for structured communication, enabling diverse groups to share knowledge
and perspectives and to foster critical self-reflection in an international and interdisciplinary
framework. Consequently, scenario planning has recently emerged as a popular instrument in the
field of policy analysis, advice and planning.
II.
Methodology
The first day of the workshop will focus on an analysis of the current status and different factors
influencing developments in Morocco and Tunisia respectively. Senior experts will provide inputs
on different aspects of the topic and discuss them with the participants.
The scenario workshop will be conducted during the subsequent three days. The participants will
be familiarized with the methodology under the guidance of strategic foresight experts through
case studies on Morocco and Tunisia. In two working groups, they will analyze the current
situation in the two countries, identify trends and factors of uncertainty, investigate the interplay
between different factors and, finally, construct consistent and plausible scenarios for the two
case studies. Within three days, the participants will go through all relevant steps of scenario
construction (e.g. horizon scanning, an uncertainty-impact analysis and a morphological analysis).
They will identify potential opportunities and threats in order to create strategic options for
shaping the future.
III.
IV.
Objectives
1. To analyze and generate knowledge about factors shaping socio-economic developments
in Morocco and Tunisia in the mid-term
2. To sensitize participants for current tendencies and possible future trajectories of relevant
actors in Morocco and Tunisia
3. Capacity building in the fields of alternative, strategic, future oriented, and joined
thinking, structured communication, and democratic discussion culture
4. To connect young and mid-level professionals and multipliers from North Africa and the
Middle East and Europe who work on similar subjects
Target Group
The main protagonists and target group of the workshop are young and mid-level professionals
(aged around 27-40) with at least two years of professional work experience in policy analysis or
policy making in think tanks, academic research institutions, politics or civil society, with a focus
on Morocco or Tunisia. Participants should come from or currently reside in Morocco, Tunisia,
other countries of the MENA region, or the EU.
V.
Application Process
Kindly fill out the attached application form and send it back together with a CV, a short
(approx. one page) outline of what you perceive to be the greatest socio-economic challenges
facing Morocco or Tunisia in the next ten years and what your main concerns are regarding the
country’s future developments, as well as a short email outlining your motivation to participate in
the capacity building workshop to [email protected] no later than 4 September 2016.

Download Report