Regional Partnerships on Culture and Development

The Regional Partnership for Culture and Development (RPCD) was a three-year, $7.2 million program funded by USAID/Egypt’s Office of Middle East Programs (OMEP).The goal of the program was to gather and disseminate information that will improve development efforts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

RPCD directly served the seven USAID Missions in the MENA region: Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, West Bank/Gaza, and Yemen, supporting them with actionable analysis and research in three focus areas: natural resources management, youth development and engagement, and democracy and governance.

RPCD also aimed to create a culture of information sharing among members of the development community in the MENA region, to better plan and implement development projects. RPCD disseminated regional research on development issues, shared best practices and lessons learned from international development programs, and provided live and virtual forums for regional knowledge sharing.

Activity Description

Activity Description

The program has four components:
Component A: Access Available Regional Research RPCD is creating the Partnership Forum, a network of MENA research organizations and experts which will share information and expertise electronically and in person through national workshops and regional conferences.

Component B: Conduct Research, Evaluations, and Analysis The program receives requests for information from the seven client Missions, and responds to them rapidly with actionable, practical analysis. Long-term research initiatives are supported through the RPCD grants program.

Component C: Document USAID Lessons Learned and Best Practices RPCD staff in each of the seven operating countries will work with USAID to capture concise snapshots of existing and recent programming, to identify best practices and lessons learned to inform future initiatives.

Component D: Disseminate Information Through regular publications, email blasts and its versatile website (www.mena-partnership.info), RPCD improves knowledge sharing and networking among USAID Missions, regional institutions, community groups, and thought leaders. The program ensures that development actors in the MENA region have the most cutting-edge and useful information available.

Expected Outcomes

Expected Outcomes
  • To foster more effective communication and information and resource sharing among institutions in the region.
  • To find and make available high-quality research conducted by credible institutions and individuals in the region in the identified sectors regardless of the language in which it is available and whether it has been “published” or not, to the benefit of institutions in the region and USAID
  • To document and share USAID and regional stakeholder lessons learned and best practices.
  • To enable institutions that may not have the capacity to do so to better share research and analysis across the region.
Activity
Complete
2010 - 2013
Award Number
263-A-00-10-00052-00
Funding Level
$7,200,000.00
Prime Implementing Partner