DAWN’s experts are the driving force behind the organization’s mission and vision. Our experts complement our research work and bolster our advocacy efforts.
Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) is a nonprofit organization that promotes democracy, the rule of law, and human rights for all of the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
DAWN Appoints Omar Shakir as Executive Director
Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) announced today the appointment of Omar Shakir as its new Executive Director, succeeding Sarah Leah Whitson, who has led the organization since 2020.
DAWN's Statement in Response to Trump's 'Board of Peace' Meeting on Gaza Reconstruction
(Washington, D.C., February 18, 2026) – In response to the meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump's “Board of Peace” in Washington to announce $5 billion in reconstruction pledges for Gaza
At DAWN, we’re always connecting the dots between the malign actors undermining our own democracy here at home and the brutal regimes, Israeli and Arab, they support in the region.
DAWN Statement on Netanyahu's Washington Visit, Israeli Attacks, Iran Talks, and the Obstruction of Peace
(Washington, D.C., Feb, 11, 2026) - In response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington for his seventh meeting with President Trump since January 2025, amid ongoing Israeli
DAWN Statement on Israel's Cabinet Decisions to Effectively Annex the Occupied West Bank
Washington, D.C., Feb, 9, 2026) — In response to the Israeli Security Cabinet's approval of sweeping measures that remove nearly all restraints and controls on illegal settlement expansion in the
DAWN Statement on the Killing of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi
(February 4, 2026: New York): In response to the reported killing of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and former head of the Gaddafi International
New York City and New York State: Cease Unlawful and Dangerous Investments in "Israel Bonds"
New York State and New York City officials should immediately cease new purchases and divest any holdings of Israel Bonds because such investments breach their international and domestic legal obligations
United States: Do Not Use Iran Protests as Pretext for War
The U.S. government should halt its stated plan to take military action against the Iranian government, an unlawful use of force without authorization from Congress or the United Nations Security
