With a rich history of partnerships in the Middle East and North Africa, USAID is committed to helping the people of the region tackle the climate crisis, address food insecurity, drive inclusive growth, extend economic opportunity, and advance responsive governance.
Our Partnerships
With a rich history of partnerships in the Middle East and North Africa, USAID is committed to helping the people of the region tackle the climate crisis, address food insecurity, drive inclusive growth, extend economic opportunity, and advance responsive governance.
By leveraging partnerships across the U.S. government, international community, and private and non-profit sectors, USAID advances peace, prosperity, and security in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Our Priorities
Respond adeptly to emerging events and policy priorities
Accelerate cross-sectoral climate adaptation across the MENA region
Strengthen commitment to inclusive growth and responsive governance
ME Regional Highlights - Update
Regional Highlights
Water for Jordan
USAID funded key improvements to the Zara Ma’in Water Treatment plant, which brings drinking water to 1.7 million in Amman, more than 40% of the city’s population.
Seeds for Syria
USAID donated 3,000 metric tons of wheat seed to northeast Syria in 2021, yielding approximately 35,000 tons of wheat in the 2022 harvest. The 10-fold harvest from this $1.5 million donation could have cost more than $25 million to import as humanitarian food aid.
Education in Morocco
USAID Morocco’s National Program on Reading pilot was so successful at improving early grade reading skills in Arabic that the Ministry of Education scaled the program nationwide, reaching 4.4 million primary grade students.
Libya Power Grid Reunification
USAID supported the General Electricity Company of Libya to reunify the eastern and western sections of the electricity grid, increasing the available power supply by 60% and reducing the frequency and duration of energy blackouts.
Our Story
For more than four decades, the American people, through USAID, have partnered with the people of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to generate inclusive economic opportunities, and to support responsive governance. USAID manages a wide variety of programs to help the people of the region meet the challenges of today and tomorrow, such as adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change. Our partnerships advance democratic principles and responsive governance, peace and security, water and food security, education, health, economic growth, and regional integration.
USAID’s efforts in the MENA region are tailored to address the region’s unique circumstances. As the world’s most water-scarce region, USAID emphasizes climate-sensitive strategies across all sectors to mitigate potential conflicts and loss of life driven by water scarcity. With the world’s lowest labor force participation rate among women, USAID prioritizes economic growth opportunities for women to help countries unlock their full economic potential. Empowering young people as agents of change and unlocking positive opportunities remain critical aspects of USAID’s programming as more than half of the regional population is under the age of 30. USAID’s investment in anti-corruption and governance efforts empower these young people to advocate for their vision of the future.
In recent years, existing challenges have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine. Shortages in wheat and other food supplies caused by Putin’s continued aggression against Ukraine and poor domestic harvests due to severe droughts and water shortages worsened already tenuous food security across the region. Food prices were already increasing, driven by supply chain issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic and strained, inefficient economies across the region. In response to these pressures, USAID has helped address immediate needs by providing critical foodstuffs such as wheat and cooking oil and increasing support for the most vulnerable in the region. Meanwhile, we continue stabilization and development efforts such as investing in social services, economic opportunities, and governance essential to create a pathway to recovery for those communities in, or emerging from, conflict.
USAID continues to invest in a brighter future in a multitude of ways. The Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act and Libya's selection as a focus country in the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability are recent signals of continued American commitment to a peaceful and stable future for the region. USAID has and will continue to ensure American support and resources reach not only those in need, but also those paving the way forward in MENA.
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Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC) Program
Learn more about this initiative promoting and funding research collaboration between Israel’s and Middle East and North Africa’s scientists on regional development challenges:
