USAID and AMIDEAST Open Regional Conference in Beirut on Transparency and Accountability Grants (TAG) Project

Conference Will Host NGO Leaders from Throughout the Region

Released by the U.S. Embassy
Beirut, Lebanon
March 30, 2004

U.S. Ambassador Vincent Battle, USAID/Lebanon Mission Director Raouf Youssef, and AMIDEAST Country Director Barbara Batlouni today opened a regional conference in Beirut for NGO leaders from throughout the Arab world who participate in the Transparency and Accountability Grants (TAG) project. TAG is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and implemented by AMIDEAST. The conference is taking place at the Movenpick Hotel in Beirut and will conclude on April 1, 2004.

USAID and AMIDEAST launched the TAG project three years ago. The project’s goal is to empower local civic associations to play a constructive role in advocating for change and enhanced transparency, accountability, and good governance in Lebanon. TAG provides grants of up to $25,000 to support local NGO and civic initiatives to conduct short-term, impact-oriented activities. In the past three years, 64 grants have been given to support local initiatives in Lebanon.

During his remarks at the opening ceremony, Ambassador Battle commented that, “Lebanon is fortunate to have a very dynamic civil society with many active non-governmental and civic organizations contributing to the development of society here…In Lebanon we see Lebanese organizations and citizens playing an active role in lobbying the government and advocating new policies. Such civic participation in public life and debate is one of the developments the US government wants to support.”

In light of the project’s successes to date, and in order to share the experience of Lebanese civic organizations with associations from other Arab countries, this regional conference will host 70 visiting NGO and civic activists from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, Syria, Tunis, Yemen, and West Bank/Gaza to meet with Lebanese leaders who have developed the TAG projects locally.

Highlights of the conference will include an exhibit of the TAG partners and projects in Lebanon; a plenary session with guest speakers addressing the role of Arab NGOs in the Mashreq, Maghreb, and Gulf regions of the Arab world; nine workshops exploring projects conducted in different sectors; and luncheon speeches by HE Minister of Finance Fouad Seniora and An-Nahar Publisher Gibran Tueni.

The U.S. Middle East Partnership Initiative, announced by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on December 12, 2002, aims to support economic, political and educational development efforts in the Middle East and to champion opportunity for all people of the region, especially women and youth. For more about MEPI, please access MEPI.State.gov.

USAID’s Mission in Lebanon strives to help nurture the right environment for the Lebanese people to promote sound economic opportunities, political governance, environmental health and peace and stability in order to improve Lebanon’s overall regional and global well being, primarily by targeting key growth-oriented industry sectors and geographical areas.

Journalists interested in covering the conference should contact the Public Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut at +961 (4) 542-600 ext. 372 or 634.

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