Ivan Lewis attended the sixth ministerial meeting of the Forum for the Future in Marrakech, Morocco.

The forum was an opportunity to discuss issues related to the broad Middle East and North Africa (BMENA), and the G8 countries and focused on political, economic and social reform. 

Co-chaired by Morocco and Italy, the forum brought together delegations representing intergovernmental organisations, the G8, countries of the BMENA, the European Commission and the Arab League.

On his way to the Conference, Ivan Lewis said:

'The UK was among the first countries to support the idea of G8 BMENA. It is vital that Government and civil society leaders from the Middle East and the G8 work together to tackle significant challenges across the region in partnership.'

While in Morocco, Ivan Lewis also held a number of bilateral meetings and met with students and young journalists to debate UK policies in the region.