Dutch ALF National Network Meeting in The Hague
The Hague, 28 September 2026
The Dutch Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF-NL), coordinated by the Arab-West Foundation as Head of Network (HoN), held an afternoon programme followed by a networking dinner. Registrations totalled 39 for the afternoon and 25 for dinner; actual attendance was 40 and 27 respectively. Two persons attended online. Ms. Sudi Suleiman, the Dutch member of the ALF Board of Governors, attended the entire afternoon and praised the network’s diversity and participants’ motivation. Members agreed to filming and photography for placement on our new website.
Work on the new website delayed the narrative report, which the ALF-NL Governance Board will review and approve once completed. The General Assembly thanked Feri de Geus for his contributions to the Governance Board and unanimously elected Chirin Abbas of Stichting Doing as his successor. Chair Koen Vliegenthart outlined plans for regional networks to increase member involvement.
The Jewish-Islamic friends circle was commended for its request to bring Gazan photographer Ibrahim Essam to the Netherlands through ALFinMotion. Chirin Abbas and Mostafa Betaree of Spotlight Team International Art (STIA) agreed to support his program.
Koen Vliegenthart reiterated the importance of registering the informal Dutch network as an association. Ms. Suleiman will arrange a meeting with ALF Executive Director Josep Ferré as soon as possible. Several members urged swift implementation, noting that the proposal was first raised in 2025 and that an association would facilitate a smooth handover should a new HoN be elected in 2027.
Mohammed Shibli, Social Coach & Counsellor of Stichting Doing presented Grassroots Incubator 2027: Developing Euro-Mediterranean Grassroots Partnerships in Türkiye and Syria. Stichting Doing arranged online participation by Ms. Julie Khoury, Strategic Advisor to the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour for Syria’s coastal region, who welcomed the initiative and offered all possible support to the delegation expected to visit Türkiye and Syria in spring 2027. Khalaf al-Khalaf and Stefan Hageman explained the Syria Diaspora Initiative’s role. Stichting Doing and the Syria Dialogue Initiative welcomed the ALF Secretariat’s approval of the project.
Darko Mitevski, President of NaturKultur e.V. in Bremen, Germany, presented the development of a Euro-MENA youth volunteer programme. He drew a parallel with France and Germany, bitter enemies during and before the Second World War, whose post-war exchange of 3,000 youth volunteers helped prepare the way for the eventual European Union.
Fran Walsh presented the Rule of Law appeal to the UN. Ditas Lazouskas described the team’s work last summer on the Migration Maze Role Game. Addressing how media can stereotype entire groups, deliberately or otherwise, Itai Cohn advocated dialogue with media. Kees Hulsman agreed, while stressing the need to approach the Netherlands Press Council when errors that create division remain uncorrected.
