Alumni

Staying Connected

From 19 to 24 July 2026, the Middle East and North Africa Office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF MENA) welcomed 26 alumni of the International Academy for Leadership (IAF) to Jordan for the seminar “Staying Connected: The Power of Networks.” For a foundation built on the conviction that free societies depend on committed, connected individuals, the gathering was a chance to reaffirm a principle at the heart of FNF's work: that liberal values are sustained not by institutions alone, but by the people who carry them forward.

Jörg Dehnert, FNF's Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, opened the seminar with a welcome address. Rainer Heufers and Clinton du Preez facilitated the week, grounding the programme in dialogue rather than lecture. Participants, drawn from a range of countries, sectors, and professional backgrounds, were invited to challenge one another's assumptions and draw on their own experience of leading in complex political environments.

The seminar's guiding theme was the kind of professional relationship that outlasts a single project or job: one built on trust, shared values, and mutual accountability, rather than the simple accumulation of contacts. Through peer consultations, group discussions, and collaborative exercises, participants exchanged practical, sometimes difficult lessons about leading with integrity, and gave one another honest feedback grounded in lived experience.

Much of the week's discussion returned to a question central to FNF's mission: how do networks of principled leaders sustain themselves when the political and economic ground keeps shifting? Participants considered how, at a time of democratic backsliding and rising uncertainty in many parts of the world, strong professional relationships built on trust can help civic and political leaders act across borders and hold to their convictions even under pressure.

The programme also asked participants to look inward. Sessions on values, leadership, and decision-making pressed them to consider how their own convictions, and their commitment to accountability and pluralism, shape their work. What surfaced repeatedly was a shared understanding: authenticity and integrity are not simply personal virtues, but the foundation of resilient organizations and, ultimately, of open societies.

Working in small groups, participants developed concrete ideas for regional and international initiatives and identified practical next steps for continued collaboration. These conversations underscored what the IAF alumni network represents for FNF: not a closed circle of past participants, but a living platform for civic education, knowledge sharing, and joint action that extends well beyond the seminar itself.

This gathering marked a beginning rather than an end. The IAF network endures through the relationships its alumni build, the ideas they exchange, and the initiatives they go on to launch together. By bringing together alumni from different regions and sectors, “Staying Connected: The Power of Networks” reaffirmed FNF's long-standing conviction: that lifelong learning, international solidarity among liberal-minded leaders, and durable networks are essential to defending and advancing democracy, human rights, and open societies around the world.