Ouided Bouchamaoui, Leader of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA); Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (2015)

“A success story is some knowledge, some know-how and a lot of getting known!”

Jean Nohain, Artist and public speaker

My topic may seem ambitious and, even arrogant to think that if we look at the Tunisian experience and apply it elsewhere, we might be able to save a country from decadence and failure. But if we look at one element which incarnates the Tunisian Journey to peace and stability it is certainly renewal. It was a new way of doing things at all levels: reorganizing our working methods, a new way of considering citizenship, a new way of working with our political and social institutions. This renewal remains crucial to our ongoing construction of our future.

It is this concept that I want to share with you.

Tunisia has been struggling for the last eight years to anchor its democratic system on firm ground, respond to the daily social pressures, fight against terrorism and relaunch an economy which has been asphyxiated by doubt and uncertainty.

Since 2011 Tunisian men and women have been demonstrating in the streets crying out for freedom in a country which for many years had an economic growth of 6%. In 2011, Tunisians decided to break the silence, break the chains of fear and set free to catch up with freedom and democracy. The Revolution of 2011 was surely a milestone in our history, yet as a nation it was difficult to make peace and reconciliate with the painful truth of a long past of autocracy and dictatorship.

The Revolution involved several days of rioting by an angry population, a mostly young population that felt wronged by a pitiless greedy regime and by another part of the population that kept silent in front of different kinds of atrocities.

The 14th January 2011, marked the beginning of what was to be known as «the Arab Spring”. This transition seemed to have every chance to succeed with most Tunisians behind it and with the support of the international community. However, history will tell, as the promises were not kept, world economic crisis and other reasons prevailed.

Let’s look at the post-revolutionary period.

The first free and democratic elections were held on 23rd October 2011. A memorable bright sunny day, as if nature was celebrating our freedom.

Tunisians elected a National Constituent Assembly in October 2011 and conferred the deputies with drafting a new constitution, to be followed by legislative and presidential elections. In this first Assembly elections, we saw the rise of the Ennadha movement, a banned party under Ben Ali presidency. Ennadha movement led by Rashid Al Ghannouchi, describes itself to be a “moderate Islamist” party.

However, the ascent of Salafism in Tunisia with increasing militant activity, weapons smuggling from Libya, involvement in the political scene and the clashes at the American Embassy, weakened the position of Ennadha movement and the government formed by the three major parties at the Assembly, also named “the Troïka” (Ennadha/CPR/Ettakatol).

And suddenly, violence struck us with the assassination of Chokri Belaid, the secular opposition leader in February 2013. The event set apart the already fragile components of a political scene. The second assassination in July of the same year of MP Mohamed Brahmi, blocked all communications channels. The country found itself in the middle of a dangerous stand-still. This beginning of 2013 was a black year in the history of Tunisia as it was scarred with social tension, a deterioration of the economy, crises and those political murders which plunged the county into a hole. We had to save the country from a real collapse.

We had to re-invent codes, demand new ways of behaving and forge new ways of thinking politics – in the Greek sense of the term, meaning citizen actions in the interest of the group, the collective interest.

We therefore had to create a dialogue: This was the bricks and mortar of the democratic transition for Tunisia, faced for the first time with a multitude of political players, a strong and vibrant civil society, a wide political space searching for its marks, young people crying out for change and a population full of hope. Such a dialogue was difficult, long and perilous.

We had to construct an authentic dialogue between two completely opposed parties. We had to keep in mind that there was no competition, there was no question of being right or wrong or of imposing subjective views. We had to move forward in the discussions with the constant aim of finding a solution together.

The work method, original as it was, came from a simple idea. In fact, the civil society as we were, understood the sterility of the political debate, the social tensions, the morose economic situation and even more the lack of perspectives for the country. We had to give Tunisian men and women new hope and reassure them that their developing democracy, for which they had already paid a heavy tribute, would continue. It was crucial to get all the political forces to work together, we did this by getting them involved and committed to a roadmap with a clearly defined action plan and a clearly defined scheme of results.

Genuine dialogue creates opportunity for new information to surface and be considered thoughtfully. Instead of bringing conflicts to the table, participants in a dialogue are encouraged to question and to bring their genuine curiosity to the table.

Genuine dialogue builds relationships. Because dialogue gets people actively involved, it builds engagement. An authentic engagement that sows the seeds of trust over time; it creates real human connection.

Genuine dialogue leads to more informed decision making. Genuine dialogue isn’t for show. It’s not manipulative and it’s not put on for the sake of an unspoken motive. It is honest and draws on what’s best in us.

This totally unknown experience would not have gained worldwide recognition or the Nobel Prize for Peace had it not been for the coherence of the speeches by the four partners of the Tunisian National Dialogue and in particular the common vision of the future of the country shared by UTICA and UGTT.

This message was a powerful signal for all the different players and for public opinion. It reconciled Tunisians between each other and mobilized everyone around the top priority: the country first, political parties after!

Tunisia still maintains the light of hope for the freedom which was heralded 8 years ago by the whole world and hopes the rest of the region and the world will follow.

Time constraints and the lack of resources are a constant challenge. The time for change appears too long for many and longer than we would have wished. However, it is perhaps only lucidity and serenity that will guide us in our long history which requires a profound reshaping of our institutions and a movement for the revolutionary values to the rhythm of a fabulous nation.

A whole nation that believes in taking its own destiny in hand for peace and freedom.

I express my sincerest wishes for the grains of dialogue and the spirit of solidarity to be planted and anchored into the historical commitment of our people, united by the common ambition of a collective destiny: to live in peace, to live with dignity and respect and furthermore, to be able to face today’s challenges and to hand over a better future for the coming generations.