The Office of the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), located within the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the U. S. Department of State, announces an open competition for applications that promote the equal standing of all citizens in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), protected by

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guaranteed rights and by independent and effective courts of law.

We seek projects that will address how citizens can:
better hold their governments accountable; protect their rights and advocate for reforms, including passage of or improved implementation of sound public interest laws; and participate actively in constitutional and legal reform processes.

We also seek projects that will equip young legal professionals with the skills and training needed to succeed and promote the protection of human and civil rights.

MEPI seeks applications that work toward ensuring legal systems protect the rights of all individuals and address the following priority areas described in detail below:
1) increasing public access to justice and legal recourse; 2) supporting legislative reforms or implementation, addressing freedoms of association and expression; and 3) ensuring constitutions reflect and protect the rights and interests of citizens.

Applicants may submit only one application to each priority areaand applicants must clearly identify the priority area the application addresses.Through this announcement, we seek to support projects in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Tunisia, UAE, and Yemen.