Grants Program

Grants >> Grantee Spotlight: Citizenship Forum

2004 Middle East and North Africa Program Descriptions:

Afghanistan
Algeria
Bahrain
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Jordan
Lebanon
Morocco
Saudi Arabia
Tunisia
Turkey
West Bank & Gaza
Yemen
Middle East Regional

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Calls for democratic reforms reached new levels in 2004, as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region witnessed local and national elections from Morocco to Afghanistan. Following years of struggle, civic and political groups with ambitious reform agendas dominated many regional and international conferences, forcing regional government officials to respond. The voices of writers, journalists and women’s and human rights activists across the region echoed the calls of citizens for wider participation and government accountability. Free local and regional press as well as satellite television gave democrats and reformers uncensored platforms for public debates demanding democracy and challenging the status quo. Moreover, highly publicized US initiatives in support of democracy in the MENA region have heightened expectations for change and put NED and its grantees at the forefront of the democracy struggle. The response of governments was mixed. On one hand, some governments yielded to increasing internal and external pressures and made commitments for better public administration but without genuine political reforms. On the other hand, other governments took advantage of concerns over terrorism and postwar difficulties in Iraq to restrain freedom, restrict NGOs, intimidate journalists and silence democracy advocates.

Through support to its core institutes and dozens of grassroots organizations throughout the region, NED strived to make the most of every opportunity presented by elections and other democratic openings. NED supported a broad range of activities to increase the capacity of civil society groups, build democratic political parties and ensure free and fair elections. Particular emphasis was given to programs seeking to advance the rights of women and minorities and to encourage debate about the compatibility of Islam and democracy.

Beyond all expectations, Afghanistan made tangible progress towards real democracy, ratified a draft constitution and held free presidential elections. From supporting women’s groups and advocating for women’s rights in the Afghan constitution, to organizing, democratizing, and empowering local, indigenous structures, the NED program helped local groups ensure the participation of the Afghan people in the unfolding political process and their historic march towards democracy. NDI worked with newly formed political parties to help them navigate the political landscape and build coalitions that allowed them to participate in the drafting of the constitution, and to effectively organize Afghans to participate in the presidential elections. IRI promoted citizen participation, helped coordinate the activities of hundreds of emerging civil society organizations and supported an independent daily newspaper, Erada, which has been influential in advocating democracy and civic values.

In a unique program under most challenging circumstances, NED maintained a significant presence in Iraq, reaching out to a wide range of groups in most provinces and providing technical and material assistance to the rapidly growing civic sector. With NED support, NDI and IRI continued to strengthen newly emerging civil society organizations, allowing them to play a significant role in building a new Iraq. Utilizing resource centers, media centers, political party trainings and consultations, public opinion polling, and visits to other countries that were having elections, NDI and IRI assisted in strengthening political movements and parties representing a potential democratic middle, and helping to build a broad coalition of parties supportive of a stable, democratic Iraq. CIPE introduced market economic concepts to the business community and expanded its program, reaching out to think tanks, economic journalists, chambers of commerce, business associations and universities.

In the West Bank and Gaza, the death of Yasser Arafat at the end of 2004 necessitated an unexpected transition within the Palestinian Authority. In electing Mahmoud Abbas as the president of the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian electorate ensured a nonviolent transfer of power at the highest executive level. Civil society groups supported by NED in 2004, and throughout the previous decade, helped insure the success of the Palestinian election and prepare the way for a democratic transition. In preparation for the elections, NED grantees worked to educate voters on their rights and responsibilities, built the capacity of nongovernmental organizations, supported women’s rights, promoted conflict resolution and advocated for reform. Of the 14 NED grantees in the West Bank and Gaza, 13 provided technical support for the elections and/or the electoral process. Some served as poll workers and election monitors, while others held town hall-style meetings and conducted television and radio campaigns to promote voter education. The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research provided some of the most accurate public opinion polls conducted before and after the elections, while the Society Voice Association promoted women’s political participation through town hall meetings and on radio programs.

Turkey’s commitment to fulfill requirements for EU accession brought far-reaching administrative and political reforms. In this context, NED continued to support civic groups, such as the Foundation for Anatolian Folklore and Culture and its project to expose legal barriers to freedom of expression, and the Helsinki Citizens Assembly and its project advocating constitutional and legal reforms.

Throughout the region, NED expanded its support to the burgeoning civil society sector. In countries where there was political opening and opportunity for citizen participation, such as Morocco, Lebanon and Yemen, NED continued its support for projects on women’s participation, independent media organization, civic education and local governance. In countries where there was little margin of freedom, such as Iran and Libya, NED increased its support to exiled groups and engaged human rights activists and democrats in regional programs. NED also expanded its program in the Gulf states, which includes the most conservative and isolated countries in the region.

Women’s participation remains critical to democracy building in the MENA region. As such, NED continued its support for the rights of women and their role in public life in conservative countries such as Yemen and Bahrain as well as in more open countries such as Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. NED supported legal literacy, human rights and political awareness projects led by three Jordanian women groups: Sisterhood is Global International, Women’s Organization to Combat Illiteracy and Jordan Women’s Union, as well as a project by a regional women’s group based in Jordan, Arab Women Media Center, which focused on training women and youth to utilize the media in advocating for their rights.

Throughout the region, religion is often manipulated—socially, by restricting women from participation in public life, and politically, by defending authoritarian regimes. In this regard, NED supported the Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, an American-based Muslim women’s organization to conduct a far reaching regional program to involve Muslim women directly in the debate over the interpretation of religious texts. NED also supported the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy, an American-based Muslim organization, to highlight the compatibility of Islam and democracy and encourage Muslim writers and thinkers in the region to demonstrate public support for democratization.