About MEPI

The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) is the U.S. Government response to calls for change in the Middle East and North Africa.  This Presidential initiative, created in 2002 and funded with bipartisan support from the U.S. Congress, has brought the resources, experience, and determination of the United States to promote greater freedom and opportunity for people throughout the region.

Under the direction of the Office of the Middle East Partnership Initiative in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the Department of State – working through its Regional Offices in Abu Dhabi and Tunis – MEPI funds programs that help put in place the building blocks for democratic change. In five years, MEPI has devoted more than $430 million to over 350 projects in 17 countries and territories.

MEPI’s partners include local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses, universities, international institutions, and in some cases, the governments of the region.  MEPI’s funding is in addition to the bilateral economic assistance the United States provides annually to the countries in the region.

Regional Offices

To better promote democratic reform objectives in the region by working directly with local partners on the ground, MEPI opened two Regional Offices (ROs) in the summer of 2004.  The Abu Dhabi RO is located in the United Arab Emirates (UEA) and covers the countries of the Arab Gulf, plus Jordan and Yemen.  The Tunis RO is located in Tunisia and covers the countries of North Africa, as well as Lebanon.  MEPI is a U.S. policy initiative and, as such, the Regional Offices serve as liaisons between MEPI’s central office in Washington, DC, and the U.S. Embassies located in the region, as well as working directly with MEPI’s partners, program participants, and other reformers at the civil society or “grassroots” level.

Tunis RO

Housed at the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, the Regional Office administers MEPI programs in Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia, accounting for more than $50 million in program funding each year.  The Tunis RO has a staff of seven employees, including Foreign Service Officers and local Foreign Service Nationals, with expertise in democratic reform programming, civil society development, public diplomacy, and financial grants management.  In addition to coordinating with the U.S. Embassies throughout the region, the Tunis RO organizes conferences (such as the Business Women’s Summit and Student Leaders Alumni Conference), facilitates exchange programs (such as the Leaders for Democracy Fellowship program and the Business Internship Program for Young Arab Women), and provides a variety of funding opportunities (such as the MEPI Small Grants program and Rapid Response grants), as well as supporting visits, seminars, and training programs designed to advance reform.    

MEPI and Other Reform Efforts

MEPI is one of several reform efforts taking place throughout the region.  Whereas MEPI is a U.S. bilateral program that responds to the democratic, economic, educational, and gender challenges, the G8 Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative (BMENA) is a separate, multilateral program undertaken by the Group of Eight (G8) industrial nations.  Launched at the Sea Island Summit hosted by the United States in 2004, BMENA supports several reform initiatives, such as the Forum for the Future and the Foundation for the Future.  While MEPI remains a U.S. Presidential initiative managed by the Department of State, it does work to develop and support BMENA and other reform initiatives, which in turn help to advance MEPI goals.