The OSI Middle East & North Africa Initiative (MENA) acts as the primary contact point and clearinghouse for OSI activity in the region. The project operates from both New York and Washington, DC, with program staff making regular, extended visits to the region. MENA’s overall approach is to assist in assembling a network dedicated to open society issues such as transparency, rule of law, accountability, minority rights, strengthening and empowering civil society, empowerment of women, addressing the knowledge deficit, and fostering and supporting independent media. In addition, MENA supports a number of scholarships in law and other disciplines such as culture and the arts, as a means of fostering freedom of expression and critical thinking.
In addition to cooperating with key OSI initiatives in the areas noted above, MENA operates a number of projects that focus on specific countries. The topics addressed by MENA programming are tailored to fit each country’s needs, as well as OSI’s long-term projects. In Iraq, the focus is on monitoring the extraction, sale, and transport of natural resouces to ensure transparency and accountability. Activities related to Iran are dedicated to promoting open society and enhancing understanding and dialogue between Iran and the international community through seminars, exchanges, and policy initiatives. Work in Turkey is based on a highly successful partnership with indigenous philanthropy in support of open society issues, while MENA activities in Egypt, Israel, the occupied Palestinian Territories, and some countries of the Maghreb focus on efforts to promote civic inclusion and respect for the rights of the individual.
The Middle East & North Africa Initiative (MENA) supports organizations that defend civil liberties among Israel’s Arab minority, and in 2006 it funded the visit of Palestinian educators and activists to Lithuania, Moldova, and Kosovo to explore how education quality for minority populations can be improved. MENA provided financial and technical support for Amman Net, an Internet radio station in Jordan that has helped the public understand and resolve pressing local issues such as bad drinking water, potholes, and petty corruption. The initiative joined with a number of individuals and organizations to establish the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, which will begin operations in 2007 relying mostly on funding from within the region.
Read more about MENA 2006 activities.
