BEN ALI'S "YOUTH PACT" MORE ABOUT BEN ALI THAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 001153

SIPDIS

NEA/MAG (NARDI/HAYES); DRL (JOHNSTONE/KLARMAN)
LONDON AND PARIS FOR NEA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/11/2018
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KDEM KPAO TS
SUBJECT: BEN ALI'S "YOUTH PACT" MORE ABOUT BEN ALI THAN
YOUTH

REF: TUNIS 769

Classified By: Ambassador Robert F. Godec for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

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Summary
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1. (C) The GOT's youth initiative (reftel) culminated with
the November 7th signing of a "Pact with Tunisian Youth."
The agreement is the result of a year long "Dialogue with
Youth" sponsored by the government. Though members of
government and civil society have at other times dwelt on the
issues of unemployment and disenfranchisement among young
people, the Pact focused on how beneficial President Ben Ali
has been for Tunisia and how young people should do more for
their country, rather than addressing concrete challenges and
solutions. End Summary.

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Dialogue Is Good...
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2. (C) After a year of youth forums and a website
(www.pactjeunesse.tn) devoted to a dialogue with youth, the
GOT announced the final product would be a "Pact with
Tunisian Youth" to be signed on November 7, the anniversary
of President Ben Ali's rise to power. The agreement was
signed by young people representing various political
parties, members of domestic organizations and NGOs, and
young expatriate Tunisians. The final product, however,
spoke little of the challenges facing Tunisian youth and
focused instead on how much the GOT has done for young people
and how young Tunisians should do more to improve their
country's image and economic prospects. This attitude is
exemplified by the movement's motto "Tunisia First." The
Youth Pact discusses, at length, the meaning of "Tunisia
First" namely, "to elevate its (Tunisia's) status among the
world's nations so that it remains glorious and invulnerable
forever".


3. (C) The Youth Pact goes on to thank the "Man of the
Change (President Ben Ali) who planted the seeds of hope,
stimulated the forces of action and devotion, and revived our
people's sense of ambition, which has restored confidence and
made possible the accomplishment of remarkable gains,
achievements and successes." After several paragraphs
devoted to the president, the document identifies rule of
law, freedom, human rights, justice, and women's rights as
the foundations of Tunisia. The end of the pact contains a
commitment to "accomplish our duties vis-a-vis Tunisia and
its people...through a larger involvement in political and
civil action, and a greater contribution to the noble effort
of volunteering and solidarity."

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...But Action Would be Better
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4. (C) At other times during the course of the past year's
youth dialogue, members of civil society and President Ben
Ali himself have spoken of high unemployment rates and apathy
among young people as two of Tunisian society's great
challenges. The Pact did not identify specific problems;
neither did it contain proposals or a framework in which to
address issues facing Tunisian youth. Though the dialogue
with youth was billed as the primary means of addressing
young people's concerns, at this point concrete proposals
addressing issues such as unemployment have come through
other channels (such as the President's November 7 speech,
see septel). It is unclear from the Pact itself if the
topics raised during fora and online were incorporated into
the Pact.

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Comment
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5. (C) Unemployment and apathy are two of the main factors
leading Tunisian youth to leave the country in increasing
numbers (reftel). The Pact could have been used as a vehicle
to engage youth and make them feel relevant to the decision
making process. Instead, it was turned into more propaganda
for Ben Ali. In addition, given the difficulty encountered
by non-GOT supported NGOs and associations registering or
holding meetings, the unspoken subtext to the Pact is that
youth are free to volunteer, so long as they do so in a way
the GOT approves. Plainly, the GOT believes the youth pact
exercise (and others similar to it) builds support for Ben

Ali and the government. However, at least one interlocutor,
a young legal professor, called the pact "kalam fadi," or
empty words. We expect most youth have the same reaction.
If the GOT truly wishes to engage and foster a new generation
of political and economic leaders, it's going to have to do
better than the Pact with Tunisian Youth. End Comment.
GODEC