Great for class discussion-Khaldoun
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Average Projected Award Amount: $500,000
MEPI is a Presidential initiative to promote democracy
and reform in the Middle East and North Africa through
diplomatic efforts and through results-oriented
programs, both regional and specific to individual
countries. Reform is of strategic, long-term
importance to the national security interests of the
United States and to the U.S. goal of ensuring that
the people of the region experience the benefits that
come with more open economies, greater educational
opportunities, and political freedom. A key element of
MEPI is creating links and partnerships with Arab,
U.S., and global civil society, governments, and
private sector businesses to jointly achieve genuine
and lasting reforms at the local level.
Accordingly, the Standing Program Announcement seeks
proposals which will broaden and deepen the means and
modes of publicly expressed and responsible citizen
views on reform in all its aspects. The range of
possible themes and issues for public advocacy
includes, but is not limited to:
* freedom of association, press freedoms and the
right of citizens to access independent sources of
information;
* the right to advocate responsibly on important
issues and debate ideas freely with other citizens and
governments without fear of retribution, including
through democratically organized and legal political
parties;
* the right to participate in local and national
governance processes;
* the right to transparent and effective
government services, including regular public
accountability for monies spent;
* the right to speedy, fair, and transparent
access to courts of law to settle civil, commercial,
and criminal matters;
* the right to open, own, and operate private
businesses under the least costly and most expeditious
government regulations.
* the right to quality public education based on
merit and relevant to the skills needed for success in
robust and open political systems and dynamic business
communities.
MEPI seeks to strengthen the community of reformers at
local, national, and regional levels, and support
local non-governmental organizations with a
demonstrated commitment to reform as they work to
build broader alliances with new stakeholder groups
around issues of core democratic values. We ask groups
to focus in their proposals on the changes they wish
to make to strengthen their organizational and
membership base, and to describe in detail their plans
to build broader public support around key issues they
will bring to the attention of policymakers in
government in specific fora.
One program funded through the MEPI involved Dickinson
College, and subsequently Purdue and the University of
Delaware. Each of these institutions hosted a group
of young adults from several Middle Eastern countries
for a summer institute. The participants learned
about U.S. culture and democratic forms of government.
The grant to Dickinson provided $350,000 of support
for multiple years of this program. I've pasted links
below to accounts of these programs to give a fuller
flavor of what they entail.
http://cfserv.dickinson.edu/dickinsonian/detail.cfm?5
http://news.uns.purdue.edu/html3month/2004/040714.Mitchell.institute.html
http://www.international.udel.edu/MEPI/2005/default.htm
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