MANARA was born out of the exchange with civil society actors in the Arab World. Researching and witnessing political struggles in the context of popular uprisings as well as mass displacement – particularly in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine –  raised important questions on how grounded knowledge and international governance are interlinked. 

While international law has all too often been used to expand (western) domination, it is at the same time also an essential tool to demand accountability and reclaim more democratic forms of governance, especially in times of genocidal politics. 

Acknowledging this tension, MANARA features research and (grassroots) initiatives that might inspire a future of more inclusive multilateral dialogue and explores – relating to Geneva – in how far multilateral institutions, and in particular human rights bodies, provide an important anchor point for civil society engagement. 

For MANARA the slogan “inspiring multilateral dialogue” goes thus in two directions: it is based on the assumption that multilateral institutions and frameworks can provide important orientation but also that these institutions – once more given the current crisis of multilateralism – require inspiration from “outside the box”.