Women Leaders Program

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The Office of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (NEA/PI) announces an open competition for proposals to support women’s empowerment, political leadership, and social participation in the Middle East. Through the Women Leaders Program, NEA/PI seeks to strengthen the ability of women leaders in selected MENA countries to engage effectively with counterparts regarding issues related to enhancing women’s rights, legal status, political participation, and economic empowerment. This is a request for applications (RFA) from organizations with functional and regional experience in the areas of women’s empowerment, civil society strengthening, and leadership development in the Gulf, as well as in North Africa, to include the countries of Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia. Applications should specify organizations’ key competencies in specific areas of women’s empowerment and outline their regional and country-specific expertise. NEA/PI is aware that there has been improvement in women’s rights throughout the Middle East and North Africa in recent years. However, much work still needs to be done. This announcement provides an opportunity for organizations to present ideas that provide innovative and conceptually new avenues of approach to women’s issues or that creatively build upon existing activities benefiting women in the region. NEA/PI particularly seeks proposals that are not only innovative but avoid replication of projects currently being implemented in the region. Preference will be given to program ideas that focus on substantive partnerships with indigenous MENA organizations and address reform opportunities as identified by local partners. MEPI seeks to identify partners with demonstrated competency in developing programs that feature skills building activities for young women between the ages of 25 and 45. Programs should include activities that focus on one or more of the following priority areas, as identified by women in the MENA region:• Empower young women as agents for change through improved leadership and teamwork, particularly at the community level;• Develop women advocates by linking opinion leaders (business, legal, media, etc.) with female political leaders and/or improve political and advocacy ability of young women business leaders;• Strengthen female journalists and journalism students, particularly in providing media coverage of women and women’s issues;• Enhance political skills for elected/appointed female officials and up-and-coming women political leadersAlthough the primary focus of the program should be women’s leadership development, projects that also engage male participants, as well as project components that reach out to local or community leaders, will be given consideration. Background Information about MEPI: MEPI is a Presidential initiative to promote political, economic, and educational reform, and to empower women in the Middle East and North Africa through results-oriented programs, both regional and specific to individual countries. Reform is important 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 between Arab and U.S. civil society, and with governments to jointly achieve sustainable reform. For additional information, please go to http://www.mepi.state.gov.Electronic Link to Full Announcement: Go to http://www.mepi.state.gov, click on Current Opportunities, click on “Women Leaders Program Announcement” link

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