The Middle East Partnership Initiative

MEPI has launched its first ever Information Technology (IT) Partnership Program to link MEPI grantees with major IT corporations.  Through this new partnership, local NGOs will be able to access the latest computer software, hardware, and related training to improve the effectiveness of their projects, build organizational capacity, and assist with cementing the long-term sustainability of their work.  For more information, please contact us at mepi-it-partnerships@state.gov

"Our message is simple: if you take the risks that reform entails, you will have the full support of the United States."
President Obama, A Moment of Opportunity, May 19, 2011

The Middle East is in the midst of transformative change.  This is a moment of enormous promise for people and societies long denied full freedom, dignity, and opportunity.

What activists in the region have done in the past months is tremendously inspiring and entirely organic.  Although here in Washington we tend to focus on our own responses to these events, the revolutions that began in Tunis and Cairo are not about us.  They are by, for, and about the citizens who created them – they are about legitimate rights, dreams, and demands for dignity, opportunity, and equality.

With its presence and network of partners across the region, MEPI is uniquely positioned to respond rapidly to unfolding events and priorities in the region.  Through our offices in Washington, DC, Tunis, and Abu Dhabi, we are creating new partnerships everyday to support the aspirations of the people of the Middle East and North Africa.

With funding from MEPI, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) recently carried out a comprehensive international observation of Morocco’s November 25 legislative elections.  Moving forward, NDI plans to provide stakeholders, including Moroccan government officials, civil society, political parties, and domestic election monitoring organizations, with feedback and recommendations on all aspects of the electoral process, especially those related to the new constitution and other recent reforms.

The project is bolstering the credibility of Morocco’s election process by offering impartial expert assessment of the pre-election environment, election day procedures, and the post-election period.

 NDI has released two statements on its observation findings so far:
- Preliminary Election Statement of the NDI International Observation Delegation (PDF)
- Though Transparent, Morocco's Parliamentary Elections Show Citizen Interest in Further and Deeper Reform

More reports will be added to this list as they are released in the near future.

New Awards to Advance the Rule of Law in the MENA Region

MEPI is pleased to announce the signing of two new grant awards to advance the rule of law in the MENA region.  Equal Access will launch the RIGHTS Initiative in Yemen, a project designed to create national and interactive conversations that will empower youth to take ownership, exercise, and defend their rights.  The American Bar Association will work on Continuing Legal Education in the Gulf, which will provide resources and training to enhance the practical skills and knowledge of lawyers and judges in the region.