The Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act (MEPPA)

Congress enacted the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act (MEPPA) in 2020 to build the foundation for peaceful co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians and to enable a sustainable two-state solution. Working toward that vision, USAID/West Bank and Gaza is implementing a number of initiatives intended to strengthen the Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilding community and engage new local partners to deliver on MEPPA peacebuilding objectives, including awards under several Annual Program Statements, the Building Regional Economic Bridges activity, and a small new initiative that will provide capacity-building to local organizations. The Mission is looking to identify ways to further strengthen the peacebuilding enabling environment and community in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, particularly by providing new local partners with small grants and technical assistance and by facilitating collective action among peacebuilders, including MEPPA partners and beyond. Priorities for capacity-building include organizational administration and management, peacebuilding best practices, and conflict sensitivity.

USAID is in the design stage for an activity that aims to reinforce the peacebuilding ecosystem by enhancing Israeli and Palestinian civil society organizations’ (CSOs) capacity and their ability to deliver on peacebuilding objectives. Through a comprehensive set of interventions, the activity will address key challenges faced by CSOs. It will enhance collaboration, support networks and coalition-building, provide training, and empower emerging organizations to contribute effectively to peacebuilding objectives.

The activity will contribute towards MEPPA’s overall goal to build the foundation for peaceful co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians and enable a sustainable two-state solution. Working toward that vision, the activity seeks to strengthen people-to-people grassroots linkages to address common challenges and enhance peacebuilding momentum to affect institutional and policy change.

Summary Activity Description

Objective 1: Palestinian and Israeli peacebuilding community strengthened.

Objective 2: Performance of peacebuilding organizations improved.

Objective 3: MEPPA peacebuilding community expanded to include more new, local partners.

Objective 4: Collective action among MEPPA partners, between MEPPA partners and other entities, and among other institutions or entities interested in peacebuilding supported and improved.