BROOKINGS Institution has announced that US Special Presidential Envoy General John Allen (USMC, Ret) and President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan will address the 12th annual US-Islamic World Forum, which will convene in Doha from June 1 to June 3, 2015.

Besides, Colin Kahl, US Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Adviser to the Vice President, and Shaarik H Zafar, US Special Representative to Muslim Communities, will also address the Forum.
This year's Forum theme is “Changing Assumptions”, an examination of the historic shifts and geo-political realities affecting the United States and Muslim communities around the world.

This year's keynote addresses and panel discussions will focus on the rapidly changing dynamics within the Muslim world, including US-Middle East strategic relations, the evolving role of Iran, potential political solutions to regional civil wars, strategies for advancing women's rights amidst conflict, and conceptions of Islamic religious and political identity.

General John Allen, US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, will discuss the ongoing international Coalition effort to defeat the forces of the so-called Islamic State. General Allen's remarks will follow a meeting of the Coalition Small Group in Paris that will review progress along the full range of shared efforts to degrade and defeat ISIL.

The Forum will also host a special session on the status of women in the Muslim world, as societal norms and state laws covering the rights of women continue to evolve and as women are particularly threatened by a number of regional conflicts. Several prominent Muslim women leaders will address the Forum, including Vian Dakhil, member of the Iraqi Parliament, and Asha Elmi, member of Somali Parliament.

Another Forum session will focus on the critical issue of resolving the ongoing civil wars across the Middle East including those in Libya, Syria, and Yemen.

Speakers will include Bernardino Leon, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, and Mokhtar Lamani, former head of the Office of the United Nations League of Arab States Joint Special Representative to Syria.

The Center for Middle East Policy and the Project on US Relations with the Islamic World at Brookings in conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar annually convene the Forum to address critical issues in America's relations with Arab and Muslim countries and communities.
The Forum provides a high-level platform for thoughtful engagement on shared concerns, and for the development of public-private partnerships and initiatives.