That the citizen is the focus of thought, as well as its spirit and end, means that the ATF  launching pad should be the deepening interaction and communication between thought and the citizen, that is, between thought and civil-society organizations – without ignoring the new transformations in our world, or the role played by contemporary media, in all its aspects and impacts on social and intellectual structures. Therein lies the suggested turning point in ATF   progress for the days to come – through its various seminars, conferences and programmes. 

El Hassan bin Talal (2007)