The Encouraging Inclusive Public Participation in the Near Eastern Affairs Region (EIPP) Program enhances civil society’s resilience in closing spaces in the Middle East and North Africa. The project partners with civil society to promote the inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized groups and conduct effective public engagement on rights issues.

EIPP is designed to build upon IREX's work on rights and inclusion under its predecessor program, the Justice & Dignity for the Middle East and North Africa Initiative.

• The program has trained 63 local and international civil society actors working in the Middle East and North Africa on how to operate safely and promote the inclusion of marginalized groups in their work.
• The program also provides small grant funding and technical assistance to civil society organizations to improve access to and distribution of rights in the region.

• Middle East and North African civil society’s increased resiliency supports continued independent civic activism within closing spaces.
• Middle East and North African civil society effectively promotes inclusion and the rights of vulnerable and marginalized groups.
• Through public engagement, civil society promotes changes within social, local, and national systems to improve access to and distribution of rights.

• Small grants to civil society organizations: The project provides small grants and technical support to local organizations and civil society actors to encourage meaningful public engagement to improve access to and distribution of rights in the Middle East and North Africa. Activities include local or national advocacy campaigns, technical support to organizations operating in difficult environments, conflict-sensitive dialogue, and empowerment programs for marginalized groups, among other things.
• Meaningful inclusion of marginalized populations: Staff train and mentor civil society organizations to support them in being more inclusive in their outreach and broaden their bases of support on sensitive rights issues, such as women’s rights, the rights of persons with disabilities, and the rights of minority groups.
• Support to disabled persons organizations: The project supports local disabled persons organizations  by advocating for policies that are more responsive to the unique needs of Moroccans with disabilities. The project partners with local councils to procure and provide assistive technologies according to internationally recognized guidelines and to more accurately meet the needs of those receiving assistance.