Building bridges

Building bridges is vital to fulfilling our mission. We have, for example, taken nearly 30 delegations to Arab countries since 1995 - most recently to the West Bank and Gaza, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. We are also aware that the youth of today will be the drivers of tomorrow and engaging with young people in British classrooms while they are still forming their ideas about the world is by far the largest part of our education programme.

Informing debate

Given that most people in Britain have a very limited understanding of the Arab world, its people, culture and history, promoting informed debate is a vital aspect of our activities across all of our programmes. We supply MPs and Lords with specialist briefings and seminars, provide the media with expert commentators and original teaching materials help schools to approach Arab issues in a confident and well-informed manner. 

Tackling prejudice

CAABU has a strong track record tackling anti-Arab racism. We have extensive dealings with a variety of media outlets and we are tireless in challenging biased coverage. Our workshops in schools also provide British schoolchildren with an essential opportunity to think beyond stereotypes and the diet of bombs and bullets served up by the media.

Empowering

We understand the importance of professional development, including the need for greater British Arab participation in public and political life. We supply expert training to spokespeople on the Middle east and provide valuable support for teachers. We also run a highly successful internship scheme for those with a strong interest in politics and Arab-British relations.

Influencing policy

Lobbying and informed dialogue have been central to our approach since our foundation in 1967. As the only cross-party organisation working in our field, we are uniquely positioned to engage with British government and parliament and have succeeded in building strong relations with politicians across the political spectrum.