GMF and OCP Foundation Launch The Atlantic Dialogues, a Major New Initiative Focused on the Atlantic Basin, North And South
(please note that the dates of the Atlantic Dialogues have changed to September 28-30, 2012) 

~New international conference in Rabat, Morocco, in September will focus on 
African, Latin American, and wider Atlantic perspectives~

WASHINGTON (January 10, 2012) — The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and the OCP Foundation of Morocco  today announce a major international initiative, The Atlantic Dialogues, as the centerpiece of an expanded partnership to promote cooperation on issues affecting the greater Atlantic basin. Established in 2008, GMF’s Wider Atlantic Program will increase its research, convening, and networking activities as part of this partnership expansion.

The new partnership will center on an annual forum, The Atlantic Dialogues, to be held this year in Rabat, Morocco, September 28-30. Modeled on GMF’s well-established Brussels Forum, this new event will bring together approximately 200 high-level public and private sector leaders from around the Atlantic basin for three days of open, informal discussion on cross-regional issues ranging from security to economics, migration to energy.

“The Atlantic Dialogues is a significant addition to GMF’s major conference series, and reinforces that South America and Africa are not just a part of — but central to — a strong transatlantic relationship,” said GMF President Craig Kennedy. “We are thrilled to be able to extend our cooperation with OCP Foundation, and to expand our joint commitment to research and convening in this area.”

“We believe that The Atlantic Dialogues will become a unique arena for debate and exchange within the wider Atlantic—a vast and diverse geopolitical space with a long and complex history,” says OCP Foundation President Mohamed Belmahi.  “Our partnership with GMF will allow for the sharing of new ideas and innovative approaches to our common region.”

GMF’s Wider Atlantic Program, led by Dr. Ian O. Lesser, the executive director of GMF’s Transatlantic Center in Brussels, builds on the experience of the past three years, and will promote a more comprehensive approach to Atlanticism, with north-south and south-south relations at the core. The GMF-OCP Foundation partnership looks to move beyond the traditional northerly axis that has driven contemporary transatlantic relations. The new initiative underscores the growing importance of Africa and Latin America as actors in the Atlantic space. It also focuses on the shared policy challenges shaping the future of four continents around the Atlantic basin. From the rise of Brazil to the growing role of China, the Atlantic equation is evolving rapidly, and so is the need for a wider conversation about Atlantic futures.

Each year, the program will also undertake a number of in-depth studies on key issues, together with smaller-scale convening and outreach activities on both sides of the Atlantic, north and south. The partnership with OCP Foundation will continue to include cooperation on GMF’s Mediterranean Policy Program.

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The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is a non-partisan American public policy and grantmaking institution dedicated to promoting better understanding and cooperation between North America and Europe on transatlantic and global issues.

GMF does this by supporting individuals and institutions working in the transatlantic sphere, by convening leaders and members of the policy and business communities, by contributing research and analysis on transatlantic topics, and by providing exchange opportunities to foster renewed commitment to the transatlantic relationship. In addition, GMF supports a number of initiatives to strengthen democracies.

Founded in 1972 through a gift from Germany as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance, GMF maintains a strong presence on both sides of the Atlantic. In addition to its headquarters in Washington, DC, GMF has seven offices in Europe: Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Belgrade, Ankara, Bucharest, and Warsaw. GMF also has smaller representations in Bratislava, Turin, and Stockholm.

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The Rabat-based OCP Foundation is a non-profit organization that was created in 2010 with grants from the Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP Group). The foundation’s goal is to have an impact on its environment beyond the OCP Group’s commercial activity through grants, research, and local development.

The OCP Group was founded in Morocco in 1920, and has become a leading producer of phosphates, which are a key ingredient in fertilizers used around the world to increase crop yields and food security.

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