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.

OSI’s Middle East and North Africa Initiative in 2007 continued promoting human rights, women’s empowerment, education, and arts and culture in the Arab region.

Read more about MENA 2007 activities.