The Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding

CAABU aims to promote an enlightened and positive approach to Arab-British Understanding.  In order to achieve this it has four principal programmes; Parliamentary, Educational, working with the Media, and a diverse Events schedule.

CAABU is the only such full time, professional pro-Arab lobby in Britain. Founded in 1967, it is a cross-party group, the oldest and largest organization of its kind in Europe. It has over 100 British Parliamentary members and is a cross-party group with British parliamentary chairmen.

In light of the ‘War against Terror’, crises in the Arab World, the ongoing and worsening conflict in Palestine and increasingly negative images of Arabs, CAABU’s role in explaining events is more important than ever.

What does CAABU do?

CAABU is a membership organization with nearly 1000 members and engages in a wide range of activities, both proactive and reactive on a number of levels.

We have both a lobbying and an educational function, aiming to:

• Counter the negative images of Arabs that is prevailing in the media at the moment. These misconceptions are having a detrimental effect on the way Britons view Arabs and the Arab World.

• Educate British school children about key issues relating to the Arab world.  Each year we visit over 100 such institutions aiming to give a basic background to students and pupils about the Arab world.

• Engage key decision makers and opinions formers with important matters affecting the Arab world and its relations with Britain.

• Arrange cross-party parliamentary delegations to the Arab world.

• Provide MPs and Peers from all political parties with up-to-date information, specialist seminars and events.

• Bridge the gap between ignorance and stereotyping of Arabs and positive and engaging attitudes with the Arab world and Arabs in Britain.

• Create an active and important Arab Lobby, or at least mobilise and expand the existing one.

• Monitor closely media coverage in Britain of the region and of Arab people.

• Provide expert commentators on the Middle East and various Arab issues.

• Brief members of the public through our 7000 plus email list that goes to MPs, diplomats, journalists and others.

Statistics of Interest

• Over 25 Parliamentary delegations taken to the Arab world since 1995.

• Over 80 Letters published in the press since September 11th, 2001.

• Every year CAABU speakers address around 15,000 British schoolchildren.

• CAABU has 111 British Parliamentary members.

• The CAABU Director alone has done over 100 interviews in the British media over the last two years.