President Obama on World Press Freedom Day
On this World Press Freedom Day, the United States honors the role of a free press in creating sustainable democracies and prosperous societies. We pay special tribute to those journalists who have sacrificed their lives, freedom or personal well-being in pursuit of truth and justice.
On International Women's Day
U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer delivers a video message on International Women's Day from the Department of State in Washington, D.C. on March 6, 2012.
Enterprising Women, Thriving Societies
Study after study has shown that the economic empowerment of women leads to poverty alleviation. As countries’ economic output grows, the range of options for women to contribute to the economy expands.
MEPI in the News
-
450 girls learn Aikido to defend against sexual violence
Around 450 girls graduated from an Aikido program designed to help them resist the threat of sexual violence, in a program organized by the Lebanese Council to Resist Violence Against Women, and funded by MEPI.
-
Jabal Moussa was declared a Protected Natural Area
Jabal Moussa in Lebanon was recently declared a Protected Natural Area, following a MEPI project implemented by the Association for the Protection of Jabal Moussa (APJM) to promote eco-tourism in the area.
-
Innovative Egyptian Youth Inspires Egypt’s Tourism
The Lift-Off program’s Explore/Express Contest, encourages young people to consider entrepreneurship as a viable career choice and helps teenagers explore their creative ideas.
-
Gallery
MEPI Empowering Women Across the Region
-
Gallery
The winning photo in the 2009 MEPI photo contest
Photo submitted by Ibrahim Sharqieh
-
Enhancing the Role of Palestinian Women in Civic and Environmental Reform
Arab-women in Israel suffer compounded discrimination both as women and as a national minority. The vast majority of these women are unemployed housewives devoid of civic awareness and access to the public sphere. To address this issue, MEPI grantee The Galilee Society implemented “Raising the Frame: Enhancing the Role of Palestinian Women in Civic and Environmental Reform.”
-
Jordanian Project Encourages Youth Political Participation
As part of the democratic reforms pursued since early last year in Jordan, MEPI grantee Al Mashreq Al Jadid for Studies (MJS) is engaging 360 representatives of civil society and local NGOs, from 12 governorates, in a Get-Out-The-Vote campaign that comes as part of the MEPI funded project “Your Vote Counts”. The project is working with Jordanian youth to enhance youth’s civic participation in 2012 local elections.
-
MEPI-Funded Young Film Makers Debut Ten Short Films to Promote Social Dialogue
On March 29th, the Palestinian Movie & Video Directors Association (PMVDA) held a graduation ceremony for the participants in the MEPI- funded local grant “Promoting Dialogue through Film and Young Film Makers.” The project supported the voices of youth by working with twenty young film makers aged 18 to 23 in the West Bank through skill-building, mentoring, and film making assistance.
-
Building Tourism and Environmental Awareness
The Arab Orthodox Charitable Society (AOCS), a Palestinian NGO, led a successful series of workshops targeting youth, local community leaders and civil society groups in the Palestinian town of Beit Sahour to raise awareness of environment-friendly practices that would make the town attractive to tourists. The MEPI-funded “Tourism and Environmental Awareness Building” project aimed to energize the local economy of Beit Sahour as a “clean and green” tourist destination.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
-
MEPI Local Grants Program
Each year, MEPI provides a significant number of local grants directly to local organizations based in the Middle East and North Africa. These Grants promote reform and and civic activism at the local and national levels in the Middle East and North Africa, build the institutional capacity of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and strengthen civil society. For more details please visit the MEPI Funding Opportunities page.


















