MIDDLE EAST

In 1978, the Population Council established a West Asia and North Africa (WANA) regional office in Cairo, Egypt, to develop research and programs in the Arabic-speaking countries and Turkey. More recently, the Council's long-standing program in Pakistan and new projects in Iran were added.

The Council's initial focus was strengthening the research capacities of local institutions and researchers and fostering interdisciplinary approaches to population studies. This foundation led to the establishment, in 1978, of a regional research program in population and the social sciences called the Middle East Research Awards or MEAwards. 

In 1987, Population Council staff members in the region began conducting research and providing technical consultations in the areas of reproductive health, family resources, and child survival. The objective was to better understand family health dynamics. Three multidisciplinary working groups were formed, linking researchers in several countries of the region. Pathbreaking studies of women's reproductive morbidity emerged from this initiative.

In 1993, activities related to family, gender, and development were added to the portfolio of work, and several population policy projects were launched in anticipation of the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo in 1994. That work continues in Egypt, Iran, Jordan, and Pakistan. In 1997, a initiative was launched in Iran to support the emerging community and encourage exchange of civil-society expertise in the region. The initiative resulted in the registration of Iran's first national nongovernmental organization (NGO) for strengthening the role and effectiveness of civil society organizations, Hamyaran.

The Population Council's regional office in Cairo has over 30 staff members, its Pakistan office has over 40 staff members, and consultants oversee work in Iran and Sudan. Staff members are drawn from several countries of the region as well as from the United States, and represent many academic disciplines. The Council maintains close working relations with regional, national, and international institutions, including government, universities, NGOs, and individual scholars. 

The Cairo office operates in Egypt in accordance with a country agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Population Council, which formally recognizes it. In addition to general support from the Population Council, funding for activities in the region is provided by private foundations, governments, UN agencies, and regional donor organizations. Examples of current major projects include: 

Gender and family dynamics
Population Council investigators are exploring the links between gender norms, sexuality, and female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). They are also detailing the challenges associated with both early and delayed marriage and the high cost of marriage in Egypt.

Reproductive health 
The Council responds to opportunities for operations research on family planning and reproductive health programs in the region which include: investigating ways to implement a client-centered approach at reproductive health clinics and improving birth practices in urban hospitals. Population Council research in WANA is designed to:

• improve the quality of care for pregnant and postpartum women, as well as provide better counseling options for clients at family planning clinics; 

• explore the acceptability and feasibility of providing counseling on sexuality issues as an integral part of family planning services; and 

• better understand the persistence of FGM/C in order to support local groups working for its eradication.

Social science
Following a period of relatively rapid decline in the 1980s and early 1990s, the decline in Egyptian births per woman has slowed during the past decade and remains above three births per woman. Council research in this area seeks the answers to three interrelated questions: 

• Why do many Egyptians continue to want three or more children? 

• How likely is it that this aspiration will persist in the future? 

• Are there public policies that might facilitate a more rapid decline?

The questions focus on the link between household poverty, underemployment, gender norms, and fertility.

Strengthening local resources
The Population Council has supported generations of scholars in the Middle East through fellowships, seminars, workshops, and awards. Council staff members have also endeavored to foster academic collaboration and high-quality research in the region. Major programs strengthen the capacity of population professionals in Pakistan and Sudan, promote improved coverage of reproductive health topics by Egyptian journalists, and train students from diverse countries in operations research methodology.

Transitions to adulthood 
A major factor in the problems associated with the region's growth is its large population of young people. The Population Council undertook national surveys of adolescents in Egypt and Pakistan, which offer the first comprehensive profile of transitions to adulthood in the country. Council staff assisted UNICEF in conducting Jordan's first youth survey as well. The surveys explored access to and continuation patterns in education, transitions to work, psychological profiles and health-risk behaviors, and transitions to adult gender roles and marriage. 

Pioneering research is testing intervention strategies for out-of-school girls and their families in rural communities. Sports, life skills, and literacy are offered in girl-friendly settings that allow the most-disadvantaged girls a second chance for education. Council research has revealed that schooling opportunities and school quality may influence the fertility of both parents and offspring. For example, aspects of school quality such as teacher attitudes and treatment of students may reinforce societal gender roles, including those encouraging early childbearing. A study in Pakistan concluded that the achievement of gender equity in access to primary schools may be accompanied by a significant rise in contraceptive use among parents.

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See Also

• Gender, Family, and Development
• Reproductive Health
• Transitions to Adulthood

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This page updated 1 May 2008

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