Women's Pillar

Women and Law Workshop and Regional Justice Forum [Women, Democracy] – The American Bar Association (ABA CEELI) held the first MEPI-sponsored Middle East Regional Justice Reform Forum in September 2003 in Bahrain.  Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor led a group of American jurists that discussed with Middle Eastern counterparts best practices in judicial procedure.  As a follow on activity, nearly 100 women from 16 countries in the Middle East and North Africa participated in a three-day workshop in February 2004 in Amman, Jordan on “Women and the Law.”  The meeting facilitated discussions among Arab women in the legal profession on common issues and challenges, to raised awareness of issues affecting women in judicial systems, and developed specific plans for future collaboration.

Participation of Women in Local Governance [Women, Democracy] – This project of the Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR) aims at increasing the effective participation of women in local government through the creation of an independent regional network of women’s activists and organizations in Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Yemen.  The project promotes representation of Arab women (at the assembly, local, and municipal levels), as well as initiatives of civil society organizations and women’s grassroots organizations to reinforce their effective participation in decision-making in local governance.

Regional Campaign Schools [Women, Education] – working within the CEPPS arrangement (see above), IRI and NDI have conducted skills training courses for women in the Middle East and North Africa to promote effective campaigning and message development, managing organizations democratically, and monitoring elections.

U.S. Business Internships for Young Arab Women [Women, Democracy] – In cooperation with the U.S. Department of State’s Education and Cultural Affairs Bureau (EC) this program provides young women from the Middle East unique opportunities to learn management and business skills by studying and working in the U.S.  The program creates a cadre of female professionals infused with an experience that only hands-on training, coupled with intensely focused academic study, can provide.  Immersion in the American business environment gives these future business leaders unique tools and skills to bring home and incorporate into regional enterprises - whether new or existing, large or small.

Women as Political Leaders: U.S. Elections and Political Campaigns [Women, Democracy] – The "Women as Political Leaders" International Visitor Program, organized by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State, was the first program implemented under the auspices of the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative. This program brought 49 elected and appointed officials, aspiring candidates, women's rights activists, civil society leaders and journalists from throughout the Middle East and North Africa region to the United States to provide an in-depth look at U.S. electoral politics at the grassroots level.

Arab Women's Forum [Women] - The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR) organized the first annual Arab Women’s Forum in Cairo in May 2003 to discuss how to overcome obstacles faced by Arab women. The conference brought together 25 women from 14 Middle Eastern countries. Follow-up funding enabled ECWR to conduct subsequent training and activities with women’s non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from across the region.  Three conferences were held in 2004 that covered: human rights awareness; understanding discrimination; and advocacy and legal awareness. EWCR partnered with local organizations to implement the workshops. A total of 74 people – mostly women – participated in the workshops, representing governments, civil society, academics and lawyers, from a cross-section of the BMENA region.

Survey of Women’s Freedom [Women, Democracy] – funded by MEPI, Freedom House released in May 2005 a report titled “Women’s Rights in the Middle East and North Africa: Citizenship and Justice.”  This analysis represented the first-ever comparative assessment of the status of women in the region and revealed a substantial deficit in women’s rights throughout the 16 countries and Palestinian Territories, where it was conducted.  The report was a culmination of an intensive 20-month-long research process by a team of 40 leading scholars, analysts, and women’s rights experts, most of them originating from the region studied.

Empowering Arab Women through Literacy II [Women, Education] - Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World will extend the Basic Living Skills Program (BLSP), a non-formal integrated education kit in Arabic geared towards illiterate and semi-literate women in the Arab World.  Funding will support the publication of a series of simple booklets based on 11 topics addressed in the BLSP, including civic education, legal rights, and women’s empowerment. (FY04 small grant, follow on to FY03 small grant)