The primary challenges facing civil society organizations in the fight against corruption in the Middle East and North Africa are non-democratic government structures, coupled with little manoeuvring space for civil society amidst stagnant, heavily state-managed economies. Despite the tradition of reforms from the top-down, civil society in the MENA region shows an increasing willingness to take up the issues of corruption and institutional reform. There now exist numerous international donors keen to encourage and assist civil society. There is no doubt of the strategic importance of the MENA region.Moreover, the political atmosphere in the Middle East has opened up in the last decade, with the emergence of a new generation of leaders more inclined towards reform and modernization.

Notwithstanding the difficult socio-political conditions, the TI network in the MENA region has grown to encompass many contacts and several fully fledged National Chapters (NC), which implement a wide variety of programs aimed primarily at raising awareness and providing education on corruption. TI-Morocco and TI-Lebanon are accredited National Chapters with multifaceted programmes, while very active contacts and chapters in formation include Algeria, Bahrain, Palestine and Jordan. TI’s approach of building national civil society coalitions active in the fight against corruption is a way of strengthening democracy and participation in some of the fledgling democracies in the region.