Office of International Affairs

Middle East & North Africa (MENA)

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The Office of the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) focuses on bilateral economic relations and development in the region stretching from Morocco to Iran and Turkey to Yemen. The importance of this region to US international economic policy has grown in recent years, and regional issues have gained in prominence since the 2004 G8 Summit in Sea Island. In particular, the Administration has made its Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) initiative central to its strategy of supporting economic and social progress in the region.

In addition to our substantial efforts in Iraq, we have important economic and political relations with other countries in the region, like Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, and Jordan, all of which receive substantial US economic support and are high priorities for the Administration. Economic and political reform in the Gulf has also taken on renewed momentum in the past year, as have issues related to capital flows. Furthermore, in coordination with the Middle East peace process, the office is engaged with the international donor community, including the World Bank and the IMF, on the reconstruction and development of the West Bank and Gaza.

G8-BMENA Initiative Finance Ministerials

Last Updated: April 14, 2006