A Man of Dialogue and Compromises

Tunisia stood at a crossroads

At that time Tunisia stood at a crossroads. There had been assassination attempts and attacks, demonstrations by police officers against the government, and the population was growing increasingly frustrated. When the country was at risk of descending into chaos, Abassi was instrumental in the foundation of the National Dialogue Quartet, comprising the Tunisian General Labour Union, the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, the Tunisian Human Rights League and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers. Together with his fellow campaigners in the other organisations, Abassi made a key contribution to finding a non-violent solution to the crisis. "It was you who kept on calling for peaceful dialogue. And it was you who first brought the government of the day, the opposition and the constituent assembly together at a single table", Gauck went on to underline.

The Africa Prize jury was impressed by Abassi's exceptional ability to "initiate dialogue, through the fine art of listening and without ambitions for political office, that resulted in acceptable long-term compromises", emphasised its chairman Dr Volker Faigle, board member of the German Africa Foundation. When the jury arrived at its decision in March, nobody could have guessed that "seven months later the Nobel Prize Committee would also select our preferred prize winner and, together with him, honour the National Dialogue Quartet with the Nobel Peace Prize", Faigle said.

Political solutions for difficult challenges

On behalf of KfW in its role as host, Dr Norbert Kloppenburg, member of the Executive Board of KfW Group, underscored Abassi's commitment and stressed the fact that the peaceful transformation of Tunisia was a shining example and an "encouraging sign that political solutions can indeed be found for complex and very difficult challenges". He added that the involvement of citizens and good governance were also decisive factors in the success of the development projects promoted by KfW.

The German Africa Prize is awarded annually by the German Africa Foundation. The foundation honours outstanding African personalities who contribute in a remarkable way to democracy, peace, human rights, art and culture, economic development and social issues with courage, commitment and integrity.

The members of the jury include: representatives of the Office of the Federal President, the German Federal Foreign Office, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, KfW, the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, the German Development Institute and the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry.