The CAAR International Speakers Program supported five leaders from Tunisian civil society to visit Australia for 10 days in July 2015. The speakers were hosted by Professor Fethi Mansouri, a Tunisian-born academic at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University. During their visit, the speakers travelled to Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.

The keynote event was an international symposium, An Arab Exception? The Role of Civil Society in Tunisia's Democratic Transition. The symposium brought together 50 international experts to explore how Tunisia's history and society helped to set the country apart from its neighbours. Tunisia's strong and active civil society, long history of universal education and female representation were key themes of the symposium and were put forward by participants as reasons why Tunisia succeeded where other Arab states failed.

The speakers were invited to a round table in Canberra, chaired by the head of the Middle East Branch, Greg Ralph on 23 July 2015. The Tunisian Ambassador, H.E. Mr Nabil Lakhal also participated in the roundtable which shed further light on the critical role of civil society and academia in Tunisia's transition to democracy.

Following the visit, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize to four Tunisian organisations for their decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia post-2011, in broader recognition of the important role Tunisian civil society plays in the country (and the example it sets for the Arab and Muslim world).