U.S. Supports Advancement of Women in the Middle East
State Department issues fact sheet outlining U.S. efforts
Following is a fact sheet, issued by the State Department September 6, outlining U.S. efforts to support the political,
economic and educational advancement of women in the Middle East:
(begin fact sheet)
Office of the Senior Coordinator for International Women's Issues
Washington, DC
September 6, 2005
U.S. Commitment to Women in the Middle East
"Here in the Middle East, that same long hopeful process of democratic change is now beginning to unfold. Millions of
people are demanding freedom for themselves and democracy for their countries. There are those who say that democracy is
for men alone. In fact, the opposite is true: Half a democracy is not a democracy. As one Muslim woman leader has said,
"Society is like a bird. It has two wings. And a bird cannot fly if one wing is broken."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice,
June 20, 2005 in Cairo, Egypt
As part of the United States' strong commitment to advance freedom in the Arab world, President Bush, in December 2002,
launched the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI). MEPI recognizes women's empowerment as one of four key pillars
integral to reform in the region along with political, educational, and economic advancements. Women are full
beneficiaries of programs in all of the MEPI pillars. In addition, specific programs to end barriers to full
participation by women in the political and economic life of 14 countries and the Palestinian territories account for
13% of the $293 million that the United States Congress has committed to MEPI through FY 2005 with the percentage rising
in that year to 20%. Programs also reach schoolgirls through the U.S.-funded ACCESS English-language micro-scholarships
(for relatively disadvantaged youth), My Arabic Library, the Jordan Education Initiative (JEI), and Student Leaders
project. The projects listed below are representative of MEPI and other State Department programs for women. More
information is available on the MEPI Web site http://mepi.state.gov/, specifically under the Women's Pillar section of
the MEPI Web site: http://mepi.state.gov/c10127.htm. For more information about the State Department International
Visitor Leadership Program Web visit http://www.exchanges.state.gov/education/ivp/.
Political Participation and Civil Society
Regional Campaign Schools. The United States through MEPI has funded three campaign seminars that provide political
leadership skills and organizational training for women seeking elective office. The International Republican Institute
and the National Democratic Institute implement the MEPI program. The most recent regional campaign seminar for women
took place in Amman, Jordan from March 28 - April 1, 2005. A total of 76 women from a cross-section of political parties
in Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, and West/Bank Gaza participated in the training, which covered topics including the
fundamentals of modern campaigning, advanced communications skills, and political advocacy. This seminar builds on
previous seminars convened in Doha, Qatar and Tunis, Tunisia, which brought together women from the Gulf and Maghreb,
respectively.
Preventing Violence Against Women. Freedom House, a U.S.-based non-government organization (NGO), is building the
capacity of public institutions and NGOs in Jordan, working as a coalition, to develop and implement a comprehensive
strategy to prevent domestic violence, sexual abuse, and honor killings. This program, recently awarded a second year of
funding, will also expand the Jordanian government's awareness-raising program to promote a human rights-based approach
within the judicial system.
Empowering Women's Organizations in Jordan and Egypt. With MEPI funding, the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) and
the General Union of Voluntary Societies of Jordan are working together to improve the capacity of small- to
medium-sized women's community-based organizations to participate effectively in political dialogue and democratic
reform. Funded by MEPI, the Center for Development and Population Activity (CEDPA) is conducting a similar program for
grassroots women's organizations in four governates in Egypt, working in partnership with the National Council of Women.
The first annual Arab Women's Forum, organized by the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights, was held in May 2003 to
discuss how to overcome obstacles faced by Arab women.
International Exchanges. The State Department's International Visitor (IV) Leadership Program hosted travel to the U.S.
of hundreds of women, including NGO leaders, journalists, teachers, and government officials. Programs address a wide
range of issues, such as NGO management, the role of legislators, the judiciary, the rule of law, and the role of women
in business, society, and politics.
Survey of Women's Freedom. Freedom House, a U.S.-based NGO, published a comprehensive survey and analysis of the status
of women's freedom in 16 countries and West Bank/Gaza in the Middle East. The English-language report was published in
August 2005 and is scheduled to be translated into Arabic later in the year. The survey, for which the methodology and
implementation were carefully designed and managed by a team of experts from the region, includes country reports,
numerical data, and focus group research. More information is available on the Freedom House Web site:
http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/menasurvey/.
Women and the Law
Arab Women and the Law Workshop. MEPI and the Government of Jordan hosted a workshop in Amman on women and law in
February 2004. Nearly 90 women from 16 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region gathered to discuss key
issues affecting women in the legal profession and to develop plans for future collaboration. At the end of the
conference, MEPI announced it would support two follow-up activities: the establishment of a regional association for
women in the legal profession and a public legal education campaign on women's rights and equality. These activities are
part of a 2-year, $6.5 million joint program on the Rule of Law and Women and the Law to be implemented by the American
Bar Association. More information is available on the Arab Judicial Forum Web site: http://www.arabjudicialforum.org/.
Women's Legal Rights in Morocco. With MEPI support, two U.S.-based NGOs, Global Rights and World Learning, are providing
training to strengthen advocacy skills, develop institutional capacity, enhance legal literacy, and build outreach among
organizations in different communities in Morocco, with a particular focus on the new family code, the Moudawana. In
addition, a series of 40 theatrical representations has been presented throughout Morocco to sensitize rural and urban
women -- and men -- about reforms to the new Moroccan family code, the Moudawana. Funded by MEPI, Moroccan NGOs use this
format to inform citizens about greater protections for women and children and new prohibitions on polygamy.
Economic Opportunities for Women
Business Internship Program for Young Middle Eastern Women. Based on the successes of the initial 2004 internship
program for over 40 women from the Middle East, MEPI is arranging the second program to begin in November 2005 for
another 40 women. Last year's program, conducted with the Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA),
included a month-long academic program at Duke University and Emory University followed by 3-month internships at
Fortune 500 companies, law firms, and small- and medium-size companies. The program provided the young professionals the
opportunity to acquire management and business skills and to learn more about the United States. For more information,
please see the Economic Pillar http://www.mepi.state.gov/.
Business Women's Summit. Over 200 women entrepreneurs attended a Business Women's Summit in Tunis, Tunisia, May 24-26,
2005. Several leading American businesswomen attended and volunteered their time to lead sessions on management and
leadership skills to the Middle Eastern women who represented 16 countries and the Palestinian territories. There was
also high-level participation from top U.S. officials including, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global
Affairs, Paula Dobriansky, and Ex-Im Bank Vice Chair, April Foley.
MEET-U.S. The Middle East Entrepreneur Training program (MEET-U.S.) is specifically designed to provide skills training,
professional networking, and alumni support systems to increase managerial and entrepreneurial skills and the number of
voices championing a larger role for the private sector in Arab economies. Of the 45 Information and Communication
Technology and Business Services sector professionals who attended the three-week entrepreneurship training in San
Diego, California in February and March 2005, 19 were women. Trainees in the Middle East Entrepreneurship Training
(MEET-U.S.) program participated in two-day internships with local businesses during their stay. Previous sessions in
June 2003, and September 2003 were conducted for hospital administration and women entrepreneurs.
Educational and Women's Awareness Programs
Rural Girls' Education. With the goal of keeping rural girls in school through the middle grades, the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID) launched and supported a local NGO in Morocco (the Comite de Soutien a la
Scolarisation des Filles (CSSF), or the Rural Girls' Educational Support Committee. Through continued support by MEPI,
CSSF and Moroccan NGOs will establish five new homes in addition to the 14 currently in existence -- to ensure that the
girls have safe and culturally acceptable living quarters near their school during a three-year period. MEPI will
provide school supplies for 400 girls over the next three years.
Outreach to Saudi Women. The State Department has offered extensive teacher training for Saudi women over the past
several years, and has hosted an educational research-focused International Visitor (IV) Leadership Program for six
Saudi women leaders. The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh works closely with women journalists and two private Women's Colleges in
Jeddah.
Partnerships With Other Programs
There are numerous joint programs through which the United States and MEPI partners support women throughout the wider
Middle East. Some examples include: Political Training. In Kuwait, the U.S.-Middle East Democracy Fund is sponsoring a
program to train women activists to develop strategies for obtaining political rights for women, including the right to
vote and run for elected office. The MEPI program in Kuwait was organized through the RIGHTS consortium with National
Democratic Institute.
Media Training. Internews, a U.S.-based media training NGO, provided 40 Jordanian, Palestinian, and Saudi journalists
classes on journalism ethics, such as accuracy, objectivity, and balanced reporting. MEPI is also planning to work with
Arab women news commentators and journalists to develop programs and productions to highlight women's issues and
history.
International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). The Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs'
(ECA) brought to the U.S. 14 Iraqi public- and private-sector women leaders for a program on "Women's Leadership and
Advocacy" in the summer of 2005. This Leadership Program regularly organizes programs, both regional and
country-specific, dedicated to the promotion of Arab women as leaders in the public and private sectors. It is bringing
seven professional women from Syria's small but growing civil society sector to the U.S. in August 2005 and seven young
Egyptian women to the U.S. in September 2005. This program will also bring 12 women entrepreneurs from the Middle East
to the U.S. in August 2005 to learn about business and economic development. In addition to giving the women
educational, political, and entrepreneurship training, programs have focused on the role of women in American politics,
business, and society and provided an overview of constitutional and other legal safeguards that protect the rights of
women.
Health Care. USAID funds the Forty-Day Program to provide postpartum care to mothers and infants in Tunisia, Jordan, and
the West Bank. Safe Motherhood and Child Survival programs provide antenatal and postpartum care, safe delivery, and
treatment of obstetric complications to women in Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, and Morocco. To date, USAID has invested about
$20 million to implement this program in 51 hospitals and 182 primary health care facilities in Egypt. This support to
the Government of Egypt's neonatal and safe motherhood programs established essential obstetric care and neonatal
services in public hospitals in nine Upper Egypt governorates. The Healthy Mother/Healthy Child project involves
upgrading delivery and operating rooms, as well as neonatal units of general and district hospitals, where women are
admitted with life threatening emergencies related to childbirth.
In West Bank/Gaza, USAID puts a priority on the emergency and daily health and nutrition needs of the most vulnerable
Palestinians -- mothers and children. USAID funds programs to improve the health of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian
mothers and their children. USAID projects have upgraded and equipped more than 80 health clinics, distributed essential
medicines to 150 health facilities and, in FY 2004, trained health care providers to educate women on birth spacing,
family planning and well-baby care. Another 108,000 women living in isolated communities received health education kits
explaining danger signs during pregnancy, newborn care, breastfeeding, and nutrition.
During the summer of 2005, a group of Syrian nurses took part in an ECA Leadership Program that demonstrated how to
develop a standard of care for psychiatric nursing, how the diversity of mental illness is handled in the U.S., and what
constitutes a manageable caseload.
Life Skills. New Horizons is a life skills program for girls and young women in Egypt who are not enrolled in the formal
education system. The results of the program include an increase in health, education, and community participation of
its participants. There is also a similar program for in-school boys and young men. To date, 22,884 girls and young
women in Upper Egypt have received scholarships and training from this USAID-supported program.
Microcredit Programs. Since 1996, the United States, through USAID-supported programs, has granted more than 60,000
loans worth over $24 million to Palestinian women and entrepreneurs. These programs have helped thousands of Palestinian
women to transform their subsistence labor into sustainable, income-generating enterprises. Microcredit programs for
women have proven to be wise investments with an average repayment rate of over 90%, and, as a result, Palestinian banks
are accepting more female loan applicants.
Through support of the Jordan Micro Credit Company, USAID-supported microfinance activities have changed the lives of
thousands of Jordanians, especially women, who account for 82% of all clients. Together, four micro finance institutions
in Jordan have provided over 90,000 loans -- 85% of which are to women -- to over 49,000 borrowers, with a total
cumulative value of approximately $48.8 million.
Women's Functional Literacy. Through support from USAID, CARE Yemen will work with local communities to develop
functional literacy programs designed to help women in agricultural production, savings and loan clubs, environmental
management, maternal and child health (including HIV/AIDS awareness), political participation, and women's rights. Helen
Keller International has provided literacy training to 20,000 women in southern Morocco. The project then shows women
how to apply their new literacy skills.
Marketing Natural Foods in Lebanon. USAID supports a training program in natural food preservation techniques and
marketing. The program enables rural women to capitalize on traditional food production and preservation methods. To
date, 623 women have been trained in quality, hygienic food processing techniques. Now 32 groups transform surplus,
low-value agricultural produce into a wide-variety of 100 percent natural products for some of Lebanon's most upscale
supermarkets and specialty shops around the world.