In the autumn of 2010 the government adopted a cooperative strategy for development cooperation with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) 2010-2015. Swedish development support to the region shall, according to the strategy, be concentrated to three areas of cooperation:
- Democratic social government and human rights
- Sustainable utilisation of cross-border water resources
- Regional economic integration
The Swedish development cooperation in the region shall include regional and sub-regional initiatives and be limited to countries classified as developing countries by the OECD. Thus Sida does not implement any bilateral initiatives in individual countries in the region, instead all initiatives are implemented on a regional basis.
Democratic social government and human rights
Financial assistance within the area for cooperation shall be focused on civil society, independent media and the development of legal and institutional frameworks in the region.
With regard to democracy and human rights we primarily support regional organisations, networks and initiatives. One important initiative is the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network, a network of organisations working with human rights in the region. Sida also funds ACT (Appropriate Communications Techniques for Development) with the aim of counteracting stereotypical images of women in the media. Support is also given to ARIJ – Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism – for the education of investigative journalists and to strengthen the legal framework for freedom of information and speech. We cooperate with the Arab Network for NGO Development for the purpose of strengthening opportunities for non-governmental organisations to influence social and financial policy developments in the region. One example is the establishment of "watch dog" functions that can make supervision of decision-makers more effective through reports and expert support.
Sustainable utilisation of cross-border water resources
Swedish support for cross-border water resources shall be limited to the areas surrounding the river Jordan and the Euphrates-Tigris rivers while support for expertise development within integrated water resource management should include the entire region.
On the river Jordan we are working together with Friends of the Earth in a project called “Good Water Neighbours”. The purpose is to support a cross-border dialogue and cooperation on a local level where common water problems are shared and increase public knowledge on more effective water usage. At the initiative of the League of Arab States a regional climate study was recently started and is supported by Sida. It is a socio-economic vulnerability study in order to map the the impact of climate change on the water resources of the region. Another example of regional support is an initiative aiming to map educational requirements within the fields of water management and planning.
Regional economic integration
According to the cooperation strategy Swedish support shall promote economic development and growth through strengthened regional economic integration.
To achieve this goal Sida supports the OECD investment program for the region. The program's objective is to support the reform work of the countries with the purpose of mobilising private investments - foreign, regional and national - as a driving force for economic growth and employment. Sida also supports the implementation of the Agadir agreement (free trade agreement for Arab and Middle Eastern countries, though there are only four members; Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan). The purpose is to increase awareness and provide capacity support within trade policy protection instruments and trading with services. Another example of support in the MENA region is an initiative for the development of an ISO-standard for regional carbon dioxide emissions. Eight countries in the region have participated in this (Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and the occupied Palestinian territories).
