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About us

A people that is strong enough to develop a new form of leadership out of its own ranks already has the men that it needs, but what is still lacking today is a broad,  general flow of liberal thought. That is the reason for slow pace of progress.

                                                                                                    Friedrich Naumann, 1909


Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit


The first President of the Federal Republic of Germany Theodor Heuss (1884–1963) established the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in 1958 – naming it after his mentor: Friedrich Naumann (1860–1919) an outstanding personality who influenced many lives, be it Theodor Heuss or Allama Iqbal. From being a protestant clergyman and philosopher, Naumann turned into a publisher and politician, in response to the social problems of his time. He sought for tangible solutions to improve the world as it existed. In education for all he detected one of the keys to an equal and fair society, in liberalism its political philosophy. After World War I, he helped draft the constitution for Germany’s first democracy and founded the “Political Academy for Citizens” before his untimely death in 1919.


The Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) continues to pursue his heritage. With several regional offices in Germany, the Theodor Heuss Academy (THA) and the International Academy for Leadership (IAF) the foundation trains Germans and people from all over the world alike. The Liberal Institute in Potsdam, Germany, contributes to it with background reading and analysis. As this work proved to be extremely successful the foundation’s work was extended abroad from the 1960s onwards. Nowadays, the FNF is active in more than 60 countries with the support of the German Government.


Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit in Pakistan


Since 1986 the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) has been committed to contribute to a peaceful and progressive Pakistan. Based in Islamabad we pursue our vision with a partners all over Pakistan. Seven liberals form the FNF Pakistan Team which is wholeheartedly dedicated to the betterment of Pakistan.


Today, FNF is well established in the Pakistani society and the political sphere. Against all odds, for example the partial destruction of the office due to a suicide attack nearby or the severe injuries of the Interim Resident Representative in the Marriott bomb blast in 2008, we stand with the Pakistani people and walk with our partners on the path of a liberal democracy with human and civic rights as well as the freedom of equal citizens.


History


In 1987 FNF became the first funder and partner of the new Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) at a time when the concept of human rights was hotly contested. We guided the Rural Development Foundation (RDF) and the Center for Social Science Research (CSSR) into self-sustainability to continue their work. When Asma Jahangir started providing legal aid to destitute women we gave her AGHS-Legal Aid Cell an initial boost, too. Furthermore, we joined hands with Fazaldad Human Rights Insititute (FHRI) headed by Naeem Sarfraz at that time.


From 1994 onwards we accompany the Karachi-based Shehri–Citizens for a better Environment in their struggle for an active civil society and against illegal land encroachment. In 1996, our co-operation with the Society for the protections of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) began and it continues to this day. In 2000 a group of liberal Pakistanis established the Liberal Forum Pakistan (LFP), a political platform advocating for citizens’ rights and the rule of law on a broad in whole Pakistan. Its Youth Wing Future Youth Group (FYG) was merged into the mother organisation in June 2010. Both found immediate support in the FNF. Since 2009 the Karachi-based School of Leadership (SoL) is supported on a regular basis. At the beginning of 2010 the Center for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) linked itself with the FNF mainly in the topics Right to Information as well as Federalism as Conflict Resolution. Individualland is indirectly an offspring of the foundation itself: Former FNF Programme Coordinator Gulmina Bilal Ahmad founded her institute of individual thought in 2008 and linked her efforts with ours in 2010.


Two networks linked up with our foundation: First, in 2005 by the name of Freedom Gate Pakistan (FGP), the Alumni of the International Academy for Leadership, wanted to share their skills and knowledge under one umbrella from 2008 on. In late 2007 academics, businessmen and politicians combined their efforts for the benefits of a free market economy in Economic Freedom Network Pakistan (EFN).

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Our Regional Brochure
Freedom versus Corruption in India
India is listed as 95 out of 182 in Transparency International’s 2011 list of countries graded from 1 to 10 – with 10 being the least corrupt. India is graded at 3.1 out of 10 in terms of how clean it is from corruption, and shares this position with Albania, Kiribati, Swaziland and Tonga. This statistic gives us a broad idea of how Indians perceive corruption in their
country, but the story of corruption in India is a dynamic one, and how it affects the freedom of Indians is complex. Read more...


FNF Head Office Germany

Creating an Index to Measure Perceived Economic Opportunity
Sri Lanka has achieved fast growth with falling unemployment and poverty There is visible change in post war Sri Lanka with new roads, high rise buildings, designer boutiques and fast cars. According to the Central Bank economic growth has moved up to the 8 percent per annum region. Most recent data suggests that the economy picked up in 2010 and sustained the growth rate in 2011. Agriculture was estimated to have grown by 2.0 percent contributing 12 percent to GDP while industry and services had expanded by 10.1 and 8.6 percent contributing 30 and 58 percent to GDP respectively. Read more...
South Asia Ilyas Kashmiri: A Too-Convenient Connection
Since the assassination of Osama bin Laden there has been a great deal of media and intelligence chatter on who would replace bin Laden as the leader of Al Qaida. One name, that of Ilyas Kashmiri, generated a certain amount of interest in South Asia, not least because it seemingly establishes the interconnectedness of the networks from Kashmir through Pakistan, Afghanistan and all the way to the Al Qaida’s Western collaborators including in Europe and the United States. His death, after a drone strike on June 3, 2011, gives us a chance to examine the details of the life of one of the most dangerous militants to arise out of South Asia. Read more
NIPSA
Freedomgate Pakistan
PRAJA