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| The Middle East Partnership Initiative Story
Table of ContentsForeword from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice By Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
As these brave men and women stand for their liberty and for their rights, the United States stands with them. Freedom, democracy, and human dignity are not American or Western ideas. They are universal aspirations of the human spirit, and the United States will always defend these principles beyond our borders. President Bush believes that democratic reform in the Broader Middle East is a moral and strategic necessity. Together with our G8 partners, we launched the Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative to build multilateral partnerships with government, business, and civic leaders who are working for democratic reform in the region. One integral part of the President's forward strategy of freedom is the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). I am pleased to introduce this public overview on the progress of MEPI since the program's unveiling in 2002. The following pages illustrate the remarkable accomplishments of people throughout the Middle East during the past three years. Through more than 350 programs, MEPI is helping citizens across the region to promote political openness, economic liberty, educational opportunity, and the empowerment of women in their societies. The United States is proud to support all of these courageous men and women, who are defining a free and democratic future for the entire Middle East. OverviewWe are living through historic times. Across the Middle East and North Africa, we see the expansion of freedom characterized by inspiring images of people standing in line to vote in free, fair, and competitive elections in the Palestinian territories, Iraq, and Lebanon; Kuwaiti women attaining the right to vote and run for office; Lebanese gathering in Martyrs' Square to demand democracy; Moroccan women achieving equal status under a new family law, and Egyptians voting in their first multi-party presidential elections. In many countries across the region, the burden of fear is lifting. A very public and vibrant conversation on democratic transformation and reform is taking place. Brave men and women are speaking out about the kind of reforms that they seek for their own countries, including political choice and human rights, transparency and laws that enable opportunity and innovation, the creation of educational systems that produce skilled graduates ready to enter the work force, and most notably their full political and economic participation. This conversation includes a focus on the empowerment of women and the expansion of their rights in every aspect of their societies. This moment is historic, but also fragile. Sustaining and supporting democratic change requires the continued effort of free nations around the world. As these men and women struggle to build a better future for their countries, America is standing with them. It is our policy to seek and support democratic movements in every nation and culture. Through our diplomacy, we are urging leaders to listen to their people's call for reform. We are making clear that the quality and nature of our relationships will be affected by the extent to which leaders respect the rights and freedoms of their citizens. The Bush Administration responded to these calls for change by creating, in 2002, the U.S. Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). This Presidential initiative, funded with bipartisan support from the U.S. Congress, has brought the resources, experience, and determination of the United States to bear in an effort to bolster the reform movement in the Middle East. Under the direction of a newly created office in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the Department of State - and in coordination with partners in the region - MEPI is funding programs that help put in place the building blocks for democratic change. MEPI has set in motion more than 350 programs in 15 countries of the Middle East and in the Palestinian territories. Our partners include local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses, universities, international institutions, and, in some cases, the governments of the region themselves. All of the partnerships produce a multiplier effect, touching a few individuals who in turn touch others to support the rising wave of reform. We know advances will not come easily, or all at once. We know different societies will find forms of democracy that work for them. But voices from the Middle East and North Africa are clearly calling for change, and the U.S. government, through MEPI, is committed to doing its part to nurture, encourage, and assist this historic process of spreading democracy and freedom in the Middle East. Our policy is to seek and support democratic movements in every nation and culture. MEPI'S 4 PillarsAll four of MEPI's Pillars seek to support indigenous calls for enduring change. Unlike traditional U.S. bilateral assistance programs, MEPI does not provide direct economic support to governments. Instead, MEPI programs are designed to support those organizations in the region already working to bring about structural and institutional reform in their own countries. MEPI's four-"pillar" structure addresses obstacles to development identified by reformers in the Middle East: (1) political governance and participation, (2) economic liberalization and opportunity, (3) educational quality and access, and (4) the empowerment of women. We recognize that, while all of these areas are important in themselves, progress in each complements and facilitates - and is often a requirement for - progress in the others. Therefore, MEPI works simultaneously in the four reform areas. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Funding Reform with Local Partners |
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| Funding in All Areas Bolsters Democratic Reform [$293 million allocated FY02-FY05] | |
| Democracy/Civil Society/Media | 28 percent |
| Economic Reform | 33 percent |
| Quality Education | 26 percent |
| Women's Empowerment | 13 percent* |
| * Because of the cross-pillar focus of many MEPI programs, funding for women's empowerment is actually approximately equal to the other pillars. | |
"... Democracy is a system in which freedom is both fundamental and paramount ... It is a system based upon a total respect for the rights of all the people, including freedom of thought and expression, and the right to organize ..."
- Alexandria Statement from the "Arab Reform Issues: Vision and Implementation" conference, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, March 2004
In just a few short years, the Middle East has become one of the most dynamic political regions in the world. In historic elections, citizens have gone to the polls in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, and Iraq. The first multi-party presidential election in recent history was held in Egypt in September. In Kuwait, women secured the right to vote, and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister provided assurances that women will be able to vote in the next election. In 2006 and 2007, citizens of Algeria, Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, and Yemen will return to the polls for new rounds of municipal and parliamentary elections.
People are making their voices heard in other ways as well. Kuwaiti women demonstrated actively for the right to vote, the Lebanese demanded democracy and justice in the aftermath of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, and Egyptians protested for an end to the 24-year-old state of emergency. This energy is breathing new life into a region whose political life had long been stifled.
As Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a leading reform figure in Egypt, said in a recent interview, "The rumbling for the change is there and we are standing, pushing to make the opening a door, not just a window, but a door, and to rush into that door before opportunity is wasted." One such door in Egypt was the spring 2005 announcement that constitutional amendments would now allow for multi-candidate presidential elections. In preparations for the September 2005 presidential election, MEPI support to the Independent Egyptian Committee for Monitoring Elections (IECME), a network of nine indigenous NGOs, allowed the committee to stage the most comprehensive domestic election monitoring effort in the country's history, with monitoring of the registration process, media coverage, and campaigning. On the day of the actual election, approximately 2,500 IECME monitors were posted at polling stations across the country. For the November 2005 parliamentary elections, MEPI was once again there to support IECME and its goal of 5,000 monitors nationwide. Additional MEPI electoral assistance to indigenous organizations included civic education and candidate training.
Program by program, person by person, MEPI is working with local activists to increase the political space within their respective countries. As this openness expands, MEPI helps give voice to people's opinions and ideas, as well as assist them in creating platforms for involvement in, and influence over, the political future of their country. MEPI's Democracy Pillar is instituting programs to bring non-governmental organizations, private businesses, governments, and citizens together to push the boundaries of change. For maximum effect, the programs are tailored to the specific needs of each country.
MEPI has moved U.S. democracy assistance toward an integrated policy and programmatic approach in the areas of political parties, judicial reform, civil society engagement, and media independence.
Since democratic governance requires a solid legal base, an essential part of political reform is modernizing the legal system. Through its Judicial and Legal Reform program, MEPI has focused on educating the region's public defenders, prosecutors, and judges in critical areas of criminal and civil law reform, best practices, human rights, and methods to preserve judicial independence. MEPI also supports policy efforts that encourage governments to undertake necessary reforms to establish more transparent and predictable legal systems.
Working with partners in the region, MEPI has supported two regional workshops in Bahrain where legal professionals from throughout the Arab world identified needed areas of judicial reform and suggested next steps. One specific area included alternative dispute resolution, in order to improve the efficiency of the judicial process and revisions to the civil code.
"For us and for our gathering, I believe it is essential to understand better our differences and to benefit from each other's experience," says Shaikh Khalid Bin Ali Al-Khalifa, head prosecutor of Bahrain and a program participant.
MEPI has dedicated itself to hands-on programs designed to bring legal reform to the region. In Morocco, Algeria, Bahrain, Oman, and Yemen, MEPI's program to promote judicial independence is well under way. The first step of that program, in which MEPI worked with each country to identify the key areas for legal reform, has been completed. The second step - developing reform strategies with governments and legal professions that can be successfully implemented - is in progress.
To complement and strengthen these reforms, Arab legal experts and activists will establish an Arab Center for Judicial Studies. The aim of this Center will be to strengthen judicial independence, through a series of ongoing professional training opportunities, policy discussions, and information exchange that engage those working on both the supply- and demand-side of reform initiatives. The Center will support policy discussions on judicial independence and foster professional working relationships and collaboration on a regional level.
Throughout the region, MEPI programs are working to build truly democratic institutions and improve the responsiveness of governments to their citizens. A critical piece of this work is helping to make political space for civil society organizations. In Algeria, MEPI is working with Algerian reformers to develop the necessary advocacy skills to make their voices heard. In Yemen, MEPI is providing nonpartisan assistance to Yemeni political leaders from outside the capital of Sana'a in order to teach skills for continued democratic reform. In Casablanca, Morocco, MEPI is working at the local level with municipal councils to host open forums with citizens' associations, to work on improving two-way communications and the quality of life for everyone.
Part of this critical reform process is also being sure that legislators are effective at representing their constituents. In Oman, Yemen, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, and Tunisia, MEPI funds are supporting work with parlimentarians and their staff to improve the legislative processes, issue management, and constituency-building. MEPI is also working with parliamentary staff in Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia to effectively research policy issues and to keep their legislators and constituents better informed. In some cases, parliamentary staffers are being brought to the United States, where they receive a firsthand look at how state and national legislatures operate.
Across the Middle East, too many voices have been marginalized for too long. This is especially true of women who have faced significant obstacles to participating in the political process. This is beginning to change, and MEPI is supporting this change.
In the West Bank and Gaza, MEPI worked with the Association of Women Committees for Social Work, a Palestinian non-governmental organization, to conduct training on election law, citizen laws and rights, methods of communication between candidate and community, and the characteristics of a leader. The sessions also gave the women a chance to interact and network.
Several women who participated in the program have since run successful campaigns for political office. In one village in the West Bank, a program participant and former schoolteacher recently defeated 39 male candidates to become mayor.
"The training boosted my self-confidence as my skills improved," says a Palestinian program participant who is now vice president of her municipal council. "At the start of the program, I still felt some hesitation about myself as a candidate, but that vanished as I came in contact with so many other female candidates."
Empowering youth to play a critical role within the political space is also critically important. In Egypt, MEPI is funding indigenous non-governmental organizations that teach voter education and develop the political skills of young party members (age 25-35) across the political spectrum. This next generation will determine the future of the region.
From an initial program of women's leadership and candidate training in 2003, MEPI was well positioned to support political reform efforts in the wake of the assassination of former P.M. Rafiq Hariri. MEPI assistance played an important role in the run-up to Lebanese parliamentary elections in May 2005 - the first elections free of foreign interference in a generation. MEPI programs enabled domestic election monitors to increase the transparency of the voting process and networks of local NGOs reached the electorate through critical civic and voter education campaigns on issues ranging from women's participation to the importance of registering to vote.
Throughout Lebanon's reform spring, the media played a vital role in highlighting reform issues, political platforms, and the electorate's concerns and aspirations. Assisting journalists in meeting their professional obligations were MEPI programs offering training in investigative journalism and elections coverage.
MEPI's ongoing presence will continue to advance the democracy agenda in Lebanon. In the post-election- environment, MEPI support for youth advocacy and leadership training, media professionalization, survey research, and electoral reform efforts aims to sustain the momentum for positive change.
MEPI has been supporting the establishment of a free and independent media with training sessions for industry professionals from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Bahrain, and Lebanon, on issues ranging from journalistic ethics and basic reporting skills to Internet journalism. As Hasham al-Mesawy, a freelance journalist and participant in a MEPI program, says, "There are very few, if any, programs of this kind available to journalists in Morocco."
Through another MEPI training session, journalists learned to respect each other, to listen to each other, and to have "a democratic debate," one Tunisian journalist adds. "I hope that more journalists will have the opportunity to participate in such trainings."
To help develop the skills needed for election coverage, MEPI sponsored workshops for regional journalists, using the Lebanese elections as a practical model. Journalists were trained in election laws, political campaigns, election monitoring, and election ethics and transparency. MEPI is also helping the growth of independent media by supporting the only satellite broadcasts of Arab parliamentary sessions.
When Yemen's Head of Parliament handed over his elected seat last year to a young visiting student, he was not ceding official power. He was merely demonstrating in a powerful manner the process of democracy to a group of potential future leaders.
In 2004, the Democratic School in Sana'a engaged more than 30,000 Yemeni children in a comprehensive program of hands-on democracy, having identified this element of society as a critical driving force for bringing about democratic change. Students from around the country examined topical issues, proposed legislation, and forwarded their recommendations to elected Children Parliamentarians, who represented the interests of Yemeni youth for two-year terms in office.
The Yemeni program is just one example among many throughout the region of how civil society groups and the governments can work together to foster participatory democracy. This innovative reform project was one of 54 Middle East Partnership Initiative small grants that were launched in 15 countries to directly support organizations at the "grassroots" or community level that are seeking reform.
Unique in its conception, MEPI strives to establish broader partnerships not only with government leaders and other traditional elites at the policy level, but also with a wide range of civil society actors. These include trade unions and associations, journalists and other media professionals, lawyers, teachers, and members of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), big and small.
The MEPI small grants program is supporting civil society and grassroots organizations as they play an increasingly vital role in their countries' governance. MEPI small grants programs include:
Backed by MEPI funding, the Rabat Branch of the Moroccan Women's Forum, in collaboration with the local theater Aquarium, launched an innovative awareness campaign that uses drama to inform and sensitize women and men to the Mudawana (new family law code), stimulating discussion on the practical impact of these reforms in both urban and rural areas. Israeli Arab high school students created "mini-companies," based on teamwork, capital management, production, and marketing skills. The students presented their companies in national and regional competitions. This completed the professional experience and provided them a taste of the personal and business acumen required for success.
MEPI has designed a number of mechanisms to support civil society actors in promoting democratic reforms. Two notable initiatives are:
From various MENA regional civil society gatherings and ongoing activities in the region, an important indigenous agenda for reform has emerged and it is focused on ensuring freedom of association, rule of law, and separation of powers. As a means to amplify and strengthen this agenda, MEPI is supporting millions of dollars in grants to organizations and coalitions working on a variety of activities, such as creating civil advocacy and resource centers and supporting fledgling civil society networks dedicated to advancing reform.
MEPI allots $100,000 each to 15 U.S. Missions to provide funding for local members of civil society, including NGOs and universities, to undertake reform projects.
These small grants, from $10,000 to $25,000, are given to local non-governmental organizations that have demonstrated their commitment to bringing about democratic change. They are working to improve political openness, increase economic opportunities for their fellow citizens, enhance education systems, or empower women and youth to be more productive members of society.
Seeking to integrate rural women into their society's development, Association Azocas, in the provence of Zagora, is providing vocational training for rural girls.
Two U.S. media experts led an innovative workshop that brought together more than 60 ministry spokespersons, local journalists, and university professors to jump-start an important dialogue on government accountability and press freedoms.
As part of its mission to promote sustainable new companies and entrepreneurial ventures, the private Mediterranean School of Business provided a blueprint for the establishment of a Regional Business Center.
Over 100 women activists addressed regional challenges during three conferences organized by The Egyptian Center for Women's Rights, which also created a website to serve the growing network advancing women's issues in the region.
Givat Haviva taught 13 Israeli Arab women leaders how to better manage their organizations/jobs and overcome special problems they face as women in a traditional society and as Palestinian women in Israel.
By conducting regular analyses of Arab print and broadcast output in Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine, Eye on the Arab Media acts as a "media watchdog" to raise the standards of professional journalists.
The Lebanese American University developed new training materials to teach literacy and life skills to women, using stories about issues such as domestic violence and women's rights.
The Palestinian Media and Development Institute trained NGO leaders to analyze government spending on gender and youth issues and to advocate for a transparent system of governance.
Female public school teachers are attending a series of workshops and seminars by the American English Language Teachers' Association to improve educational practices and methodologies on teaching.
Women are learning about their rights and how to protect them in classes on legal documents, the importance of documentation, and how to obtain it without the intervention of a male relative.
The University of Bahrain is setting up the first campus-based university radio station in the Gulf to prepare future broadcast professionals for jobs in the media.
To bolster claims that the lack of women's participation in politics translates into concrete economic disadvantages for women, the Kuwait Gender Budget Study is analyzing the allocation of government resources to women.
Zayed University conducted ten workshops on creativity and problem solving that resulted in an agreement between the government of Ras Al Khaimah (UAE) and Northern Kentucky University for academic cooperation and a comprehensive educational partnership.
An animated video production project supports NGO advocacy and coalition building and instills civic responsibility in school-age children using a well-known Qatari folktale.
The Student Council at the Modern College of Business and Science learns leadership skills for involvement in university policy-making and administration through workshops and exchange programs with student councils in the U.S.
"The Arab world today stands at a very critical juncture. Sustaining the status quo will only widen the development gap between this region and the developed world - not to mention the growing number of developing countries and regional blocs that are taking rapid measures to integrate into the global economy."
-Arab Business Council, Blueprint for Economic Reforms, 2004
Nowhere is the connection between economic reform and democracy more important than in the Middle East. The Arab world has a daunting task of creating over 100 million new jobs over the next 20 years. While the private sector must be the engine to provide the jobs, governments will need to ensure policies are in place that enable the private sector to unleash the untapped talent and potential in each country's citizens.
MEPI economic programming focuses on building and balancing the relationship between government, business organizations, civil society, and market institutions, and promoting the development of the laws and institutions necessary for open market-oriented economies.
MEPI initiatives are facilitating expanded trade, expanding the capital available to small- and medium-sized companies, supporting individuals willing to undertake risks to start new companies, establishing professional education, and creating new jobs. Program participants have started new companies, expanded existing ones, and helped improve commercial laws in their countries to become some of the most dynamic business people in the region.
Randa Abdou is a 38-year-old Egyptian who, after years of working for international companies like PepsiCo, decided to start her own business. "I recognized that there was a need for marketing knowledge," says the founder of Marketing Mix/Creative Lab, an integrated marketing/advertising agency. "I'd like to focus on the local market while pursuing expansion opportunities throughout the Middle East."
Abdou helped sharpen her business skills through a MEPI-sponsored program called Middle East Entrepreneurship Training in the U.S. (MEET-US), which provides skills training in entrepreneurship to dozens of up-and-coming entrepreneurs from across the region. She was recently named "one of the top ten dynamos who will shape Egypt" by the magazine Egypt Today, and is fully committed to expanding her business.
MEET-US, funded by MEPI, has a singular goal: Build a cadre of business leaders in the Middle East and North Africa with the entrepreneurial experience necessary to enhance their countries' private sector and global competitiveness. The method: Bring nearly 100 up-and-coming entrepreneurs - 40 percent of whom are women - to the United States four times a year for skills training and professional networking, and then connect them with alumni support systems to increase their managerial and entrepreneurial skills. MEPI wants to enhance an entrepreneurial culture in the Middle East by providing incentives to innovate, save, invest, and launch new firms.
Participants in MEET-US are matched with companies in the U.S. that fit their professional interests and skills. Afterwards, armed with newly developed expertise, they return to their home countries and business endeavors. If participants are employing two to three people, MEPI programs are showing them how to employ 10 or 12 in order to strengthen and expand their businesses.
With their new training and experience, participants are already looking ahead. "I go after new markets, new activities. It's gratifying to find new ideas and to put them into an actual plan," says program attendee Ali Kettani, managing director of the largest private media production facility in Morocco. "In the next few years we're hoping to further diversify our business mix."
Najwa Grace Tohme, a participant from Lebanon, wants to establish a public library in her village. She doesn't want to stop there; if this pilot program is successful, her plan is to open libraries in other villages.
MEPI's economic programs reinforce the democracy work by promoting the development of laws and institutions necessary for not only a market economy but also a democracy. MEPI is aiding in the reform of commercial laws in the Gulf to help increase trade, reduce corruption, and ensure judicial independence. The program includes training for judges, as well as establishing commercial law curricula at universities such as Oman's College of Sharia and Law. Law professors from the region have also visited law schools in the U.S. to learn new teaching methods and explore specialization.
"Unless students are educated to become the employees of choice ... or to be self-starting entrepreneurs, they will join the ranks of the unemployed," says Soraya Salti of Junior Achievement International, whose MEPI-funded program will launch free-enterprise school programs in 12 Arab countries over a three-year period. MEPI funds, along with private-sector contributors such as ExxonMobil and Citibank, allow these schools to be launched in multiple countries simultaneously and jump-start reform.
MEPI wants to build support for - and understanding of - the rights, freedoms, and obligations essential to a democratic private enterprise system. For the many Middle Eastern college students graduating with a master's in business administration, landing a job at a multinational corporation is a lifelong goal. More than three dozen Arab women recently got a start on that goal through a four-month internship program called the U.S. Business Internship Program for Young Middle Eastern Women (BIP), sponsored by MEPI and the Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau (ECA).
Out of 350 applicants, 41 finalists were accepted for a one-month MBA crash course at Duke or Emory University. From there, the women began three-month internships at large corporations and law firms across the United States. The primary goal was to give them experience with large companies that they could take back to their home countries. The hope is that, equipped with new business knowledge, these women will be able to help grow their companies and industries.
Razan Darwish, a 24-year-old Oman native who worked as a marketing officer at Walt Disney World during her participation in BIP, feels her experience with MEPI can aid her in her home country, where she works in the tourism industry. "I've realized more about my skills and learned so much more about myself," she says.
Without U.S. private sector and Fortune 500 company help, the BIP would not have been possible or successful.
"We were pleased to be part of this important MEPI-sponsored internship program for young professional women from the Middle East," says Steven B. Pfeiffer of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., a sponsor of a BIP intern. "We were able to both broaden relationships in a region and demonstrate our commitment to promoting opportunities for women in the legal profession."
Developing Public-Private Partnerships
Training and networking are only part of MEPI's efforts to provide the necessary tools for entrepreneurs seeking to build a new economic future for their countries. MEPI is also focused on helping each country's financial sector to become more globally competitive so that small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) - the backbone of any private sector - have the financial tools and connections they need to succeed. This is where the Partnership for Financial Excellence (PFE) comes in.
The PFE's long-term goals include developing public-private partnerships among Middle Eastern governments, the regional domestic banking industry, and their counterparts in the United States. Recent efforts in Morocco highlight this method's success. Working closely with the Central Bank of Morocco, MEPI provided critical support by assisting with staff training, reorganization, and the creation of an effective communications strategy. The U.S. Federal Reserve provided two senior banking professionals to consult with the Central Bank and initiate the improvements.
A MEPI risk-management conference in Amman, Jordan, was designed to guide participants through practical steps of strengthening risk management in their banking institutions. Mufleh Akel, CEO and general manager of the Association of Banks in Jordan, wrote: "All the presentations were meaningful."
Eager to expand and bolster credit opportunities available to SMEs, Banque du Caire (Cairo) requested help from MEPI. As a result of that assistance, it quantified a SME loan portfolio and started recruiting 360 lending officers; just one year into the SME lending program, the bank plans to make 12,000 loans.
Opening the door to free trade not only creates business ties among companies in the Middle East, North Africa, and the U.S., but helps create much-needed job opportunities for the region's youth. Free trade adds focus on the necessary regulatory and good governance processes that governments must have in place to make trade successful. MEPI is proud to help provide the assistance necessary for countries in the Middle East to achieve their trade goals with the United States.
Morocco is a telling success story. Through MEPI, Moroccan companies with the capacity to export to the U.S. (known as "first-tier" companies) were linked with potential buyers in the United States. Those Moroccan companies with potential, but which needed improvements in packaging, pricing, or other areas, were given training to elevate them to the "first-tier" company level.
"Right now, we have a lot of transactions," says Tariq Nabhan of International Executive Service Corps, a MEPI implementer. "A Moroccan company that makes display boxes for jewelry and watches had never sold in the United States. We were able to secure business for them with jewelry maker Tiffany, which contracted the company to produce boxes for its new product line in 230 branches worldwide."
The U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement enables Moroccan companies to export millions of dollars in frozen fruits and vegetables and hundreds of thousands of dollars in consumer goods, from jewelry cases and marble sinks to tiles and handbags. But behind all of the money and exports is another achievement: Reform. As Nabhan says, "The free trade agreements with the States help businesses achieve a higher level of employment and allow them to compete worldwide. But it is not just employment and higher quality standards; free trade areas improve the competitiveness of the country as a whole."
"Challenges of the future are enormous. Enlightened mentality, comprehensive knowledge, and high technical skills are the essentials to meet those challenges ... It is a task the education system must shoulder. It is the duty of each one of us to work for its success." - His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, Sultanate of Oman
A well-informed citizenry capable of responsibly exercising their rights is necessary for open, democratic societies to flourish. Without an educated population equipped with the skills to operate in a global economy, democracy in the Arab world will fail to meet its full potential. MEPI is working to support reform in this critical area by focusing on programs that strengthen democratic values and practices within both formal and non-formal education environments.
Visit the headquarters of Scholastic Inc., the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, and on every shelf you'll see educational titles designed for all ages, on subjects ranging from lizards to the shape of the galaxy. Here, knowledge is everywhere - all you need to do is reach out.
In many schools throughout the Middle East, high-quality educational materials are harder to come by. Without them, children in the region are less likely to learn the fundamentals they need to succeed in an increasingly global society. By improving their access to quality education, a democratic mind-set capable of critical thinking and exploration can begin to develop early.
The MEPI education pillar focuses on such partnerships, especially ones between the public and private sectors. It is vital that private industries commit to reform.
Without education, none of the region's reform objectives can be reached. For this reason, Scholastic and MEPI have joined forces to help bring Arabic-language books to the Middle East. Through a MEPI-funded program called My Arabic Library, 3,000 schools in Jordan, Lebanon, and Bahrain have received dozens of fiction and nonfiction titles designed to encourage reading, critical thinking and analytical skills.
"Our classrooms lack varied and enriched reading materials that will allow students to enjoy reading outside of their curriculum," says Shaikha Lulwa Al Khalifa of the Bahraini Ministry of Education. "The My Arabic Library program will provide high-quality reading materials that are new and fun for our students. We already have seen some of the books, and they are impressive."
In the summer of 2003, MEPI launched the Student Leaders Study of the United States Institutes, an intensive program that brings recent high school graduates and undergraduate students from the Arab world to the United States to train at top universities. MEPI is providing these highly motivated young men and women with instruction in leadership, problem solving, and entrepreneurial skills, as well as a taste of American society. Students also visit institutions such as the Supreme Court and participate in community service projects designed to boost their leadership skills. These students then use their experiences with MEPI to create opportunities when they go back home. They are the future entrepreneurs and leaders of civil society, private sector, government, and community.
This MEPI program has opened doors for students such as Sara Chehab, a MEPI student leader from 2004 who has just been accepted to a master's program in the United States. "To study and live in the U.S. for two years is something I've been dreaming about my whole life, and it is MEPI that opened the door for me," she says.
The project draws students from all economic backgrounds with strong academic records who are already involved in their communities. These students will benefit the most from exposure to the United States; the principles learned here will stay with them for the rest of their lives and enable them to become leaders in their societies.
As Naoufal El-Lamrani, another program participant, says, "The most obvious impact this component had on my leadership skills was to gain a full understanding of democratic values and to learn how to better promote those values."
Since 2003, more than 135 students have participated. MEPI maintains its commitment to these motivated youth with follow-on programs that encourage them to continue to push for freedom and change in their communities. Program alumni attend an annual conference in the region and participate in a network that reinforces what the students learned over the summer, as well as create incentives for students to implement their project ideas.
Students used the skills they developed to create everything from newsletters to campus clubs. One Moroccan student wants to impart the skills he learned at the University of Delaware to five universities in his home country - an ambitious task, but these programs were designed for the most capable students.
Another student, encouraged by his participation in the program, plans to start the first student newspaper at his university: "I am looking forward to establishing my first step toward building and improving an independent press in my country to serve the citizens, especially the youth."
MEPI is supporting U.S. universities as they partner with Arab colleges and universities to improve the quality of instruction, research, and materials, and share best practices. Since 2003, MEPI has awarded 15 grants, worth nearly $1.5 million, to a number of universities.
The partnerships focus on areas where MEPI is also trying to open political dialogue such as American studies, media and journalism, and teacher education, and have spread to ten countries, including Algeria, Bahrain, Oman, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. The program creates sustainable ties among universities, the benefits of which will be felt for years to come.
The success stories are many. Duke University started a partnership with Effat College in Saudi Arabia to produce the first engineering curriculum for Saudi women. A partnership between Oman's Mazoon College and the University of Missouri-Rolla, which collaborates on business innovation and entrepreneurship for female students, just had its second graduation ceremony.
MEPI is helping the Jordanian government - through a public-private partnership - achieve its far-reaching education reform goals. The Discovery Schools project, implemented in conjunction with Cisco Learning Institute, is assisting 100 Jordanian schools with online curricula development and teacher training.
"MEPI has contributed significantly to strengthening the English-language curriculum, which is needed in our public schools," says Majied Al-Qasem, director of the Jordan Education Initiative, of which the Discovery Schools project is a part of civic education courses.
Currently, 73 percent of the Discovery Schools are deploying e-math content, and for grades K-12 e-curricula for English and civics are being created. MEPI began its work with JEI in English curriculum and now also assists JEI in development of civic education and responsibility courses.
To expand the educational opportunities for marginalized youth, English ACCESS Microscholarships Program for English Language Study was established in spring 2004. It provided 1,500 youth from 13 countries in the Middle East an opportunity to improve their English language skills with curriculum focused on civic responsibility. The program has been greeted with universal enthusiasm in the field and has been expanded to reach up to 13,000 students in 2006.
The integration of democratic values into social institutions is often insufficient to sustain the current enthusiasm for the inherent rights of people in their society and their government. Therefore, MEPI's education programs work to provide access and materials that assure a quality education for all people, especially women and girls. The My Arabic Library program represents the first-ever major effort in the region using classroom libraries to develop independent reading, critical thinking, and analytical skills in young people. It means more than one million new books for children across the Middle East, new curricular materials and training for teachers, and more than 30 take-home notes to engage parents in students' learning.
Already, the response has been positive. Mothers in Bahrain lined up to check out one of the few sample books initially available. One teacher yelled out "I love this book!" during training there. A -network of volunteers in both the U.S. and the region has contributed to this unique private-public partnership.
The titles in this series are universal in their appeal to children, with the hope that the books serve as ambassadors of reading and learning to children in the Middle East. The program's first target group is third and fourth graders. Middle Eastern educators selected and endorsed the Scholastic books.
Equally important, experienced trainers from Scholastic guide principals and teachers across the region in how to use these books most effectively. Throughout 2005, more than 300 Bahraini principals and teachers and nearly 4,000 educators in Jordan and Lebanon received top-level training. Improving creative and critical-thinking skills in basic education demonstrates MEPI support for freedom and democracy in the region.
"How can society achieve progress, while women, who represent half the nation, see their rights violated and suffer, as a result of injustice, violence and marginalization?" - His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Kingdom of Morocco
In the city of Tetouah, Morocco, women participating in a program about their legal rights begin visiting the local municipal council, seeking greater influence over local government decision-making. One day, the president of the council asks how the legal literacy program has helped them. They respond, "Without the program, we would not have been here at all."
Close to Tetouan, a woman begins a similar legal literacy program in a small village near her home. The men in that village are skeptical about her work. The woman returns every day, walking two hours each way, and in time the men embrace the program's goal to teach women their rights.
MEPI programs are supporting this change. This project, known as Enhancing Human and Legal Rights Education among Illiterate Women in Morocco, teaches women about their legal rights to help them change their lives and their futures. By working with a huge network of diverse organizations across the country - urban as well as rural, Arab as well as Berber - women throughout Morocco are proving that if they work together, they can empower their communities.
As calls for democracy spread across the region, the single most important factor in this drive for liberty is the courage and activism of women. It is visible everywhere: in Morocco, women have called for and won positive changes to the family law. In Jordan, brave women are fighting to ensure the laws impose criminal penalties for honor crimes. Women in Bahrain and Kuwait are leading the way to women's political participation in the Gulf. Women from Kuwait won the right to vote with the rallying cry, "Half a democracy is not a democracy."
America's commitment to supporting women across the Middle East is clear: We are providing leaders and reformers with continuing support in their struggle to remove their legal, regulatory, economic, and political barriers.
As political systems begin to open across the region, America is supporting women as they become full participants in the political process. Through MEPI's regional campaign schools, we are providing political training for women in the skills they need to become active participants in democracy. Four important training schools in the Gulf, Levant, and North Africa regions have already trained nearly 300 participants.
In this program, women are brought together to build political skills in message development, constituency-building and outreach, and public education campaigns. Participants learn from the experiences of Arab women who currently hold elected political office, as well as from Arab, European, and American political activists and experts.
Not only did the program give these women the tools to succeed, it also helped build networks. "We learned from other women participants and their experiences and how to tackle problems. It was very positive in terms of the experience we built," says Rola Abdulla Dashti, a leading women's rights advocate and a board member of the Kuwait Economics Society.
The first training session, organized in Qatar in February 2004, had the participation of 60 women from across the Middle East. The second session, also for 60 participants, was held in Tunis in July 2004 for women throughout North Africa. In March 2005, over 80 women from the Levant participated in the third gathering in Jordan and in September over 50 women participated in a training session in Kuwait. The sessions were often led by Arab women political leaders, and provided participants the immediate opportunity to be involved in elections in the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, and Egypt.
"Woman after woman from across the Arab world told the participants of her challenges and her successes. They all shared a common conviction that they could - and should - play a key role in solving the problems of today and helping to shape the future of their societies," says a Saudi radio journalist with ArabNews.
"Coming together at the Partners in Participation conference helped us to see our differences and our commonalities," adds Bisan Moussa, an activist with the Palestinian organization MIFTAH in Ramallah. "As women, we share common challenges but also face unique opportunities in our home countries. This conference allowed us to see that and work together to solve our own problems intra-regionally."
To most effectively support women's empowerment, MEPI commissioned the first-ever region-wide Survey of Women's Freedom. The report - an unprecedented comparative analysis of the state of women's rights in 16 countries and one territory in the Middle East - was published in Arabic and English in mid-2005. This report will serve as a basis for those who support women's rights across the region to work together to address common challenges and track progress in achieving common goals.
In February 2004, nearly 100 women legal professionals from 16 countries in the Middle East and North Africa participated in a three-day workshop on Women and the Law (WATL). Their goal was to exchange legal expertise and advice on best practices, and to provide professional development and programming for women in the legal profession. Their workshop was the first of its kind.
Before this workshop, many of the women working in law in the region were unable to host meetings with other legal professionals without official permission from their bar and government. The vast majority of participants had never been to a gathering where training was offered, nor met in a professional capacity. There were bar associations with limited activities but no specialized programming. It was historic and eye-opening for them to meet with fellow judges and lawyers.
Reem Tariq Abdullah from Yemen was a participant in the WATL workshop in Amman, Jordan. "The WATL workshop was an inspiration for me - to meet with leading women in the legal profession from different parts of the Middle East, to share experiences, and to be motivated by their successes," Abdullah says. "It made me want to go back home to do something to enhance the legal profession in my country."
Advances for women in the legal profession are regionwide. In Iraq, WATL workshop participants campaigned successfully to protest a proposed transfer of jurisdiction for family law matters from Iraq's 1959 civil personal status law to Shari'a law. Workshop participants Hind Alwash and Baheeja Haider, along with other women in the region, held seminars about the negative aspects of the change and led a series of peaceful demonstrations and sit-ins. In March 2004, the proposal, known as Resolution 137, was repealed.
The initial successes of WATL are helping women legal professionals in the region create an enduring network where they can work to establish the rule of law, protect individual rights, and exchange expertise.
In another first, MEPI sponsored a Business Women's Summit for the Middle East and North Africa. The summit, which took place over three days and included more than 200 women from 16 MENA-region countries as well as eight American business women, focused on women's empowerment, business training and networking, and democratic reform.
Summit activities included interacting and networking among participants from different countries, as well as informal activities and workshops designed to encourage significant cross-border networking. The summit also laid groundwork for increasing regional trade and creating a better business climate for women in the region.
"Thanks to the Business Summit in Tunis and the MEET-US program, I was inspired to share with the American University of Beirut alumni community," says Hanan Saab, a Lebanese business owner who participated in the Business Women's Summit, "the discrepancy and lack of economic, social, and political rights of women in the region, including Lebanon."
Over 20 MENA businesswomen sought tangible business deals with American businesswomen. Other businesswomen from the region created their own "Middle East and North Africa Business Women's Network," which will seek to unite regional businesswomen and their associations to advance their business and interests. Currently, these women are extending the women's business networks back in their home countries.
MEPI programs are helping reduce the social barriers for women in the region. For example, in the Jordanian Family Protection Program, MEPI is working in cooperation with a coalition of Jordanian NGOs to strengthen the capacity of local women's groups to work together in order to prevent domestic violence, sexual abuse, and honor killings.
In the area of women's empowerment, as across all pillars, MEPI is responding to growing calls for change from voices in the Middle East. We are supporting women's groups as they work together and foster coalitions, so that women can share collective experiences and learn from each other to build pluralistic societies.
Another MEPI project, in collaboration with USAID, includes the Increasing Women's Literacy
Program in Morocco. Managed by the Helen Keller Institute, the program provides literacy training and post-literacy basic skills training to over 2,000 disadvantaged women. To date, some 100 women have been able to start income-generating activities.
Also in Morocco, the Girls Scholarship Program, a MEPI-funded project administered through USAID, provides 180 girls with safe and culturally acceptable living quarters near their schools, so they can complete middle school while receiving computer training. The Bringing Home Democracy and Civic Education to Arab Schools in Israel program is designed to bring a civics curriculum into Arab schools in Israel.
All these programs are vital threads in the fabric of the United States' support for freedom and democracy in the Middle East. Increasing the quality of and access to education for women and girls will raise a generation better able to successfully participate and lead their countries in the future.
"Political pluralism is a universal value that all democratic countries aim to safeguard and strengthen, in particular through the promotion of the widest possible participation of citizens in political life and
public affairs." - Democracy Assistance Dialogue - The Rabat Colloquium, Final Statement 2005
"Internal reform and expanding freedoms for all are not a luxury, they are an absolute necessity.
We need them to change the reality that we can see daily." - Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher
"The key to resolving problems resides in the proper understanding of democracy and its implications. It also resides in understanding the complementary relationship between democracy and civil society." -Her Excl. Amat Al-Alim Al Soswa, Minister of Human Rights, Republic of Yemen
"Political rights are not just a banner to be held but rather a burden and a responsibility that must be fulfilled and taken with utmost seriousness." - Kuwait's first woman Cabinet Minister, Maasouma Al-Mubarak
"We ... assert our firm determination ... to keep pace with rapid global change by fostering democratic practice." -Arab League Summit, Tunis Declaration 2004
"Democratic systems protect the rights and interests of everybody without discrimination ... The basics of democratic systems are reflected in periodically elected legislatures, representing the citizens in a fair way and ensuring their full participation, in executive bodies that are responsible and committed to the principles of good governance and in an independent judiciary." - Sana'a Declaration 2004
"Participating in [MEPI's Women's Regional Campaign School] renewed my hope for the future; it also left me with the conviction that ... women could add much more for their country's progress if only they would be given the chance." - Saudi radio journalist, Samar Fatany
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"America will stand with the allies of freedom to support democratic movements in the Middle East and beyond ... Our aim is to build and preserve a community of free and independent nations, with governments that answer to their citizens, and reflect their own cultures. And because democracies respect their own people and their neighbors, the advance of freedom will lead to peace." - President George W. Bush, State of the Union Speech, February 2, 2005
