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The Middle East and North Africa

Anti-corruption demonstration in Cairo, Egypt (2006). Copyright: Ben Hubbard/IRIN

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What needs to be done now: BMZ emergency measures
Medium-term measures

Wave of democracy sweeping across North Africa and the Middle East

The BMZ is prepared to support democratic, reform-oriented forces

The "jasmine revolution" in Tunisia heralded a wave of democracy in the Arab world. It was followed by the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. The populations of Libya, Yemen, Algeria, Jordan and Bahrain, too, are clearly expressing their will for political change. Millions of people across the region are making emphatic demands for more democracy, more of a say in how they are governed and more political participation.

Germany has responded quickly to the new geopolitical situation: "The German government is prepared to stand by and advise democratic, reform-oriented forces in Egypt and elsewhere in the region," German Development Minister Dirk Niebel has declared.

Even though the countries of the Middle East and North Africa differ widely, they are all facing similar problems and challenges: democratic structures need to be developed anew and carefully nurtured. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) will be providing strong, long-term support for the process of transformation taking place in the region. This support will focus on the following areas in particular:

  • Good governance and the rule of law,
    in order to contribute to the development of a pluralistic, participatory society

  • Education and training,
    in order to reduce inequalities in educational and vocational training opportunities

  • Media freedom and freedom of opinion,
    in order to facilitate the transition from state-controlled to free media

  • Employment,
    in order to prevent further impoverishment of the population and offer people, especially young people, better prospects for the future

  • Transformation of the economy based on social and market-economy principles,
    in order to improve the region's competitiveness and boost economic growth

  • Strengthening civil society

  • Developing and strengthening democratic control of security forces by parliament, the executive, the judiciary and civil society

The EU is also currently engaged in elaborating a short- and medium-term package of measures to support the transformation processes. Germany will take on a leading role in shaping European activities in this context.

What needs to be done now: BMZ emergency measures

Following the events in Tunisia and in Egypt, the BMZ quickly set up and endowed three funds for the countries of North Africa and the Middle East.

  • Fund to Promote Democracy
    To support democratic change the BMZ has set up a fund to finance consultancy services on structural and regulatory policy. More than 6 million euros is available for special measures under the auspices of the political foundations and church aid organisations already present in the region. The intention is that they will support civil society, for example with regard to organising themselves politically and building up independent political parties. Measures are already being actively implemented through the fund in both countries.

  • Education Fund
    The BMZ is providing 8 million euros to support a regional project via the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) concerned with training and employment for young people. The objective is to open up new educational and development opportunities for the younger generation, which accounts for as much as 70 per cent of the population in the region. The project comprises labour-market oriented training courses and business start-up programmes for young people, among other measures.

  • Economic Fund
    As part of its Financial Cooperation the BMZ has set up a regional fund for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. The purpose of the Fund, which has been endowed with 20 million euros, is to support the refinancing of micro-finance institutions. This will help create new jobs in the micro and small enterprise segment of the economy. The intention is that other donors will also participate in this Fund. The Fund, which is named SANAD (meaning "support" in Arabic), was officially launched by German Development Minister Dirk Niebel in Frankfurt am Main on 11 August 2011.

The activities conducted within the framework of these three Funds and beyond are intended to help improve legal certainty in the region. With this end in mind, local human rights activists are receiving support from Civil Peace Service experts, for example, and training measures for local human rights organisations are being promoted. The BMZ Human Rights Facility for Non-govern­mental Organisations is reserving up to 40 per cent of its funds (3 million euros) in 2011 for projects to strengthen human rights in the region.

Furthermore, the Deutsche Welle Academy is offering targeted further training for freelance journalists, bloggers, journalism students and users of social networks, which is being provided with a view to promoting press freedom and freedom of opinion in the region.

What Development Minister Dirk Niebel emphasised when he visited Egypt in February 2011 applies in principle for all German activities in the region: "We will not democratise a country from outside. But we will gladly help if we are asked to."

Medium-term measures

In the medium term the BMZ will support the democratisation process in the region by means of the following measures:

Projects concerned with socio-political education that are being supported by the political foundations will be adapted and extended. This will include activities to strengthen political participation, in particular by young people, and to promote independent journalism and the free media. Providing advice for newly emerging political parties and accompanying support for forthcoming elections are also important areas of work for the political foundations.

Under the framework of an existing regional project to promote the economic integration of women, a network of associations for women entrepreneurs is to be established.

To stabilise the local economy and serve as an incentive for foreign investors, a special facility for Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) is to be set up for the region. It will be created by providing additional funding of 2 million euros a year for the existing Africa Facility.

Development-related courses of study and scholarship pro­grammes are to be set up through a special programme for promoting higher education. In addition, the quality of the higher education establishments that are already involved in coopera­tion programmes in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria and Jordan will be secured. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) will be responsible for implementing this programme.

German support for the national human rights institutions in the region will also be stepped up. There are already accredited national human rights institutions in Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Qatar and the Palestinian Territories. The further expansion of capacities and the formation of networks is to be supported through German development cooperation funding.

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