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The following interview highlights the work of Tunisian civil society activist Adel Beznine in the area of transparency in Tunisia.
Adel is the founder and spokesperson for the Tunisian Association for Digital Freedom which he established after the revolution, and he was highly involved in organizing the first two National Civil Society Forums ever to take place in the country. Adel is also involved in several other organizations and initiatives in Tunisia working on different issues such as transparency, citizen participation, and access to information.
- How did you first get involved in transparency work with the World Bank?
After the revolution, I chose to become active in the civil society sector through taking part in various projects initiated by different CSOs. It is through this work that I got involved in different consultations organized by the World Bank with civil society in Tunisia around various topics such as social accountability, access to information and transparency.
- What specific projects are you working on with the Bank in the area of transparency?
I mainly work with the World Bank Institute as the national coordinator for the regional dialogue on Access to Information. I am also part of the Affiliated Network on Social Accountability-Arab World (ANSA- AW).
- Do you think the Bank should be playing a role in supporting transparency and reforms in post- Arab Spring countries?
Absolutely yes. The Bank has been playing an important role in supporting transparency and reforms in Tunisia throughout 2011 and especially during the last few months. Some of the activities undertaken by the Bank in support of these reforms included organizing events such as seminars and forums, connecting different initiatives in the country and leading consultations. I think that supporting transparency is a winning strategy for the Bank as it would allow the Bank to ensure that its loans are spent to support priority sectors in Tunisia.
- In post-Arab Spring countries, international donors are directing a significant portion of their funding to support government reforms in areas such as transparency, freedom of association, and the financial sector. While these reforms are necessary and long-awaited, the push for their adoption by donors is often viewed as interference in internal affairs and a form of conditionality when future aid is contingent upon their adoption. In Tunisia, are such reforms viewed as conditionalities? Should donors direct their funding efforts towards other areas instead such as job creation or supporting civil society organizations?
Indeed, many international institutions increased their funding to post-Arab Spring countries in reaction to the multiple social upheavals in those countries, and this funding went to support transitional governments and to provide relief in certain situations such as for refugee camps or to ease tense military situations. Support for those areas is seen as positive among Tunisians; however, external funds have also been used to serve ideologies and support religious political parties which makes us as Tunisian citizens suspicious of funds from external donors. The problems that led the country to a revolution are multiple and complex, and therefore, the corresponding solutions must be unique to each issue.
- One of the above mentioned reforms which was funded by the World Bank included the right to information law which was passed last year and which you have been working on. Do Tunisians know about this law? What role, if any, has the World Bank played in pushing the government to make the law public and raise awareness around it?
Having a right to information law is certainly a good thing but, as the Jordanian case showed us, it is not sufficient. It is a first step in a long series of steps. The Bank did not deny that it pushed the transitional government to adopt this law; however, in my perspective, the Bank played an even more important role in the implementation phase of the law through different initiatives such as facilitating connections between government officials and experts in the field of transparency such as Toby Mendel and pushing for multi country sessions to keep the discussions around the topic on-going and the implementation plans moving forward. The Bank also led an initiative to allow different stakeholders to work as a coalition to raise awareness about the right to information law and to develop future plans around its implementation that not only includes the government, but also involves CSOs, media, private sector companies and the international community. The Bank is not the only institution working on the issue of transparency: the UNDP and EU among others are also supporting efforts in that area.
- What are some key strengths and weaknesses in the law? Do you think it will be effectively implemented?
International experts are unanimous about the fact that Tunisia has one of the best right to information law texts worldwide. I would have to look into the text carefully to discuss its particular content and quality. Regarding implementation, the government issued an administrative circular on World Press Freedom Day on May 03, 2012 that explains how the law will be applied. Article 19 published a good report that provides recommendations on how to best ensure freedom of information and expression in the Tunisian constitution.
- Has the World Bank been effectively and proactively engaging Tunisian CSOs in the implementation of the law? Do those include CSOs from different regions in the country?
Now that the administrative circular has been issued, we as stakeholders, including the World Bank, must be accountable for efforts regarding the implementation of the law. A national commission will be working on gathering information, involving CSOs, and fundraising for training of the administration staff among other actions. As the interior regions of the country have been the focus and priority of the different national plans (political, economic, etc.) they cannot be excluded from this process.
- What is your assessment of Tunisian civil society’s understanding of the World Bank?
Tunisian civil society still sees the World Bank as an institution that makes money by giving loans to governments and as an entity that supported the previous regime of Ben Ali. However, the Bank has been making efforts to involve different CSOs, mostly the active ones, in every consultation or decision relevant to its projects in the country. The World Bank will be funding the Civil Society Forum that will be held on May 18 and 19 in Tunisia and this is seen as a big step towards reducing the communication gaps between the Bank and civil society.
- In what areas would you like to see the World Bank more involved in Tunisia? What role do you envision for Tunisian civil society with the Bank?
Since the beginning of our engagement with the Bank, we have raised the fact that what is mostly needed in the country is building capacities, sharing knowledge and connecting communities not more funds for projects: despite the fact that we are facing a difficult period economically, we are still a non- indebted country and we would like to stay that way. The nature of bilateral work between the government and the World Bank is long term, and civil society will work on ensuring that the process is transparent and produces effective results.