Reclaiming civic space in the MENA region: A regional platform for knowledge, foresight and civil society alliances

In several countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), civic space is shrinking under legal repression, surveillance and financial constraints. Authoritarian rule and weak institutions create hostile conditions for civil society organizations (CSOs). Despite pressures, civic actors, including a new generation of youth-led groups, are digitally connected. They organize and imagine alternatives and a new social and political future for the region, underscoring the need for safer, enabling conditions for collaboration and voice.

This project aims to protect, enable and expand civic space via a regionally anchored platform for knowledge production, civic experimentation and long-term agenda-setting.
The platform has two mutually reinforcing tracks. The first track supports analysis of political/governance trends and co-creates future agendas through scenario planning, horizon scanning and cross-border dialogue. The second track builds CSO sustainability, tests advocacy/protection strategies and develops cross-movement alliances. The project spans six case studies across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.

This research seeks to go beyond diagnosing the problems and assessing strategies. By equipping civic actors with knowledge, tools and strategic foresight, the initiative moves beyond reactive defense toward proactive reimagining of civic space so civic actors help shape, not merely survive, their political landscapes