As a follow-on programme to the longstanding Ta’ziz Partnership for Democracy (formerly the Transformation Partnership with the Arab World), the German Government is continuing its support for democratically minded civil-society actors in the MENA region via the Cooperation with Civil Societies in Africa and the Near and Middle East (ZANMO) programme. At the same time, it is expanding this cooperation geographically to include all countries of the Near and Middle East and Africa.

In many of these countries, it is important to protect the remaining spaces for civil society and to offer it a reliable partnership. Furthermore, such support boosts democratic resilience in fragile or increasingly authoritarian contexts, including in the face of disinformation and targeted interference by authoritarian third countries, thus helping to foster political stabilisation in the participating countries and in the region.

Content may encompass the entire spectrum of political, media policy and socio-economic projects within the context of Germany’s cultural and societal diplomacy. Funded projects should aim in particular to build the capacities of civil-society actors and expand contacts between them, as well as to strengthen the pluralism of information, opinion and the media. Further funding priorities include promoting identity-defining elements, a dialogue on values and freedom of education and research. The idea is also that funded projects will increase the participation of young people, women and disadvantaged sections of the population. A high level of local content in and regional impact of the projects is a further aim.

Civil-society NGOs and independent media and cultural institutions in the target countries and in Germany are eligible to apply for and to receive funding.

Examples of projects

1. The Near and Middle East and North Africa are among the world’s regions most at risk from climate change. However, media reporting in the countries concerned does not sufficiently reflect the urgency of this issue. The “Green Panter” project is supporting 25 female journalists from 16 Arabic-speaking countries in North Africa and the Near and Middle East from 2024 to 2026, providing them with further training in journalism at in-person and online events. The aim is to improve reporting on climate-change matters in their home countries, to raise awareness of the issues among media users, and to support a facts-based and critical public debate.
2. Civil society in the Sahel is constantly under pressure as a result of authoritarian political trends and terrorist threats, among other things. At the same time, there is a lack of further training on the opportunities and possibilities of digital transformation. Nor are there sufficient forums for dialogue on the impact of digital transformation on society, politics and the media. Via workshops and networking events, the Digital Sahel project helped civil-society actors in six countries in the region to develop and implement their ideas on digital projects with an impact on society, for example in the fields of culture, ecology, and equal rights for women and marginalised groups.

Further information

• Federal Foreign Office Funding Concept on Cooperation with Civil Societies in Africa and the Near and Middle East (ZANMO) (in German)

• Further information on applying for project funding (in German)