The 'Our Duty' Reform Project
Our Deep Concern
Based on our deep concern about the country's situation marked by comprehensive collapse and unprecedented frustration, exacerbated by the fact that populism has deprived Tunisians of the opportunity to improve their conditions through democratic mechanisms, and believing in the necessity to positively harness all the gains of independence, the achievements of the nation state and of the revolution of freedom and dignity; and as a contribution to the rebuilding of the pluralistic republican system whose foundations were undermined by incompetence, mediocrity and failure; and in alignment with the rescue and reform choice around which we have gathered for months alongside a group of national figures, very ambitious and highly competent youth and representatives of the country's active forces.
A Comprehensive Reform Program
We hereby present this program as a new step towards establishing a deep and comprehensive reform that touches all vital sectors of the state and society. This is not merely a set of isolated measures, but an integrated vision for rebuilding Tunisia on solid foundations of competence, transparency, and social justice.
Core Reform Principles
Working with All Active Forces
Working with all active and plural forces, without exclusion or marginalization, in the service of the nation's best interest and in steadfast defense of its foundational civilizational, democratic, and developmental pillars, pillars that unite all its citizens, men and women alike, so as to consolidate the primary strategic achievement of our country: its national unity, while striving for the positive mobilization of this national unity to support and safeguard the climate of pluralism that characterizes our society, and to establish effective approaches to managing differences and ensuring the sound governance of democratic institutions, in order to achieve a meaningful interaction between development and democracy as essential mechanisms for the well-being of our people.
Full Independence of the Judiciary
Working to ensure all conditions necessary for the full independence of the judiciary as a sovereign authority, to uphold justice and achieve fairness, to reject violence, hatred, and resentment, and to actively promote peace throughout the country. Striving to expand the scope of efforts to combat all forms of crime and attacks on individuals and property, and to spread a sense of security and reassurance among citizens.
Comprehensive National Reconciliation
Entertaining a firm belief in the need to promote a comprehensive national reconciliation between state institutions and citizens, between political forces and intellectual movements, and among the country's various regions and social groups, in order to create the environment for a thorough and inclusive reform that enables the identification of the political and developmental trajectories that can take root in our realities, free from impositions, dictates, or alliance/bloc politics, thus protecting our sovereign national decision-making process while engaging constructively with the international community in a way that fulfills our people's aspirations for progress and freedom.
Strengthening Our Identity
Working to strengthen our Arab-Islamic identity while remaining open to human civilizations, constantly promoting a culture of tolerance, moderation, and balance, and nurturing a spirit of creativity. Investing in a vibrant and purposeful cultural life, and ensuring the development of a national cultural project as a foundation for the building of human capacities and as a mechanism for Tunisia's radiance and excellence. A thriving culture is the foundation of a thriving nation.
New Economic Development Model
Integrated Economic Model
This model shall ensure interaction between modern, efficient service sectors based on advanced technology, artificial intelligence and the essential productive industrial and agricultural activities in both coastal and inland cities. It shall also integrate participatory contributions from the solidarity economy and the emerging opportunities of environmental professions and the green economy. This model shall lay the foundation for a new generation of educated, ambitious youth who have acquired knowledge in research and training centers and are capable of creating new employment possibilities by developing economic initiatives and penetrating both domestic and international markets.
Employment as Central Objective
Working to make employment a central objective of development and a key factor in shaping educational, training, economic, and social policies. Economic growth is an essential condition for creating job opportunities for youth, but it is not sufficient on its own. It also requires a focus on labor-intensive sectors, particularly for university graduates, as well as a training policy that restores the value of technical professions and high value-added services.
Decentralization and Local Development
Implementing decentralization and non-centralized governance within an inclusive development policy. This should capitalize on all growth potential, improve proximity-based services, and implement modern mechanisms that ensure synergy between growth hubs and their respective sectors. It should also commit to the development of local communities, support municipal administration, and protect its independence to ensure the continuity of state affairs with justice and transparency and manage the affairs of local residents, regardless of the political parties and forces represented in municipal councils.
Proactive Trade Policy
Adopting a proactive trade policy and an effective reform policy for the transport and logistics sector in general, aimed at opening markets to Tunisian goods, expertise, and investments, and establishing mechanisms to encourage the penetration and diversification of these markets regionally and internationally. It is essential that the state, professional organizations and specialized bodies adopt incentives to promote Tunisian products as a driving force toward developing productive infrastructure and investment.
Climate Change and Energy Policy
Climate Change Adaptation
Implementing significant initiatives to adapt to climate change and actively participating in the international process in this regard, and devising an alternative energy policy that serves the new development model.
National Projects
Specifically targeting the two national projects related to seawater desalination in coastal areas and solar energy in various inland regions, particularly in the south and center, aiming to develop irrigated agriculture and support agricultural areas as a cornerstone for agricultural development and food processing industries.
Foreign Policy and International Relations
Realistic and Balanced Foreign Policy
Redirecting Tunisia's foreign policy by restoring the country's natural position in its regional and international environment by strengthening the home front and adopting a realistic and balanced foreign policy. This policy will leverage Tunisia's historical and intellectual capital based on moderation, positive neutrality, constructive mediation, anticipation, initiative and proposal capacity to solve current crises, with a view to defend national sovereignty, support the state's development policies, and strengthen bridges of dialogue and partnership with friendly countries based on mutual respect and shared interests, far from ideological rhetorics, populism, and confrontational stances.
Restoring International Relations
This reformist approach requires primarily broad and high-level diplomatic activity to restore warmth and balance in Tunisia's bilateral and multilateral relations, repair any damage, regain the confidence of friends and international partners in Tunisia's capacity to rise again, overcome all challenges, foster a climate of trust through the resolution of all residual frictions to ensure the return of dialogue and the restoration of cooperative dynamism so as to open broad horizons for development and partnership.
Genuine African Policy
Tunisia should also reconcile with its African environment and establish a genuine African policy that restores the trust it enjoyed during the 1960s and 1970s. This can be achieved through the exchange of visits, forging high-level friendships, resuming political consultations and economic, medical, and technical cooperation, and breaking the barrier of isolation by visiting Sub-Saharan African countries after many years of absence, as well as regularly participating in African summits from which Tunisia has been continuously absent.
Supporting Private Sector in Africa
Furthermore, the Tunisian state is today required to support the private sector and accompany it in Africa by expanding diplomatic outreach, enhancing the capacities of our embassies on the African continent, providing banking and insurance coverage, securing air and maritime transport, among other measures, and making optimal use especially of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which offers promising prospects.
Social Justice and Human Dignity
Foundations of Social Justice
Laying the foundations of social justice among the social categories and regions of Tunisia, supporting its health system in terms of research, prevention, and treatment across all regions of the Republic, opening prospects for the advancement of its youth, and ensuring a decent living for all its people within an active national solidarity that combats poverty and exclusion and protects human dignity within a comprehensive human rights-based approach and an ambitious orientation toward improving citizens' quality of life.
Supporting Vulnerable Groups
Supporting persons with special needs and taking responsibility for those whom life has failed through the involvement of the state via a national social work institution in charge of enacting policies of solidarity and protection for all vulnerable and disadvantaged categories, regardless of the causes and factors, within a comprehensive humanitarian approach. Ensuring support for all specialized structures and mechanisms to confront social ills, which are widespread in society, such as addiction, human trafficking, violence against women, sexual harassment, and bullying and establishing integrated policies for their prevention and treatment so that Tunisian families are not left alone in the face of such scourges.
National Strategy to Combat Poverty
Within the framework of the national strategy program to combat poverty, updating the methods used to measure poverty and define its thresholds, considering the rising cost of living, the repercussions of unstable international conditions, and numerous life accidents, using the latest technical means to prepare a register of poor and low-income families subject to continuous and automated review and evaluation.