Ziad Abbas is program manager for cross-cultural programs at the Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA). A Palestinian refugee from Dheisheh Refugee Camp in the West Bank, Abbas is the cofounder of the Ibdaa Cultural Center in Dheisheh as well as a filmmaker, journalist and educator who has worked with Palestinian and international media. He has participated in the production of several documentary films and was co-producer and production manager of Promises, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2002.