Welcome to your Web way to information and knowledge about participation and development, as well as related events, contacts and networks across the Arab World!

The Center for Development Services ( CDS) and the Near East Foundation ( NEF) have been working in partnership with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in London, UK since 1996. Recently IIED applied for and received approval from the Civil Society Challenge Fund, Department for International Development ( DFID) for funding, which will allow IIED and CDS to be more actively involved in building the knowledge base and practical experience of Arab organizations in participatory approaches. This partnership under a project entitled ‘Promoting Participatory Development in the Arab World (PPD)’ aims to promote a more active civil participation in the evolution and management of change in the Arab region.  In view of this aim and in line with our objective to spread and disseminate knowledge and practices of participatory development in the region, this web site has been development for you.

A study that was carried out by the CDS and the DFID in 1999 on the use and impact of participatory methods in Egypt revealed that both government and non-government organizations sense the need for participation but do not know from where to begin. Another regional learning initiative reflected the lack of documentation of local participatory practices and the need to bring organizations engaged in development activities in the Arab World to discuss, exchange and present their activities. From here it became pendant to engage in a project that promote the application of participatory development approaches in the Arab World, and to deal with the limitation on the organizational capacity to disseminate and exchange existing information.

This is an online resource hub connected to our learning resource center (LRC) to provide materials about participatory development for practitioners, trainers and researchers in the Arab region to benefit from.  Interesting International publications are translated and adapted into Arabic. Some can be ordered on line, others are provided in an abstract format to facilitate research.   In addition, experiences about participatory development from within the Arab World are provided to transmit learning regionally and internationally, to learn, share and exchange information that encourage mutual benefit and understanding between this part of the World and beyond.      

This web site is designed for the use of researchers, development practitioners, university scholars, trainers, and representatives of any organization working with people in world development with interest in, and practice of participatory development techniques. 

(About Program) Provides a comprehensive outlook to participation in our program.  It intends to highlight the different aspects of the program, whether projects, activities or events.  Within this page, links to further navigate the site are activated for easier search.

(Events) Announces coming or recently held events that bring up issues related to participatory development.  Click on event you want to learn about and surf its menu, which you find on top.  Apart from being updated with coming events, or learning from past ones, you have the opportunity to publicize for any event you find useful for others to learn about.

(Resources) This site is equipped with a comprehensive database to facilitate the finding of publications and materials on participatory development and an abstract of them (annotated bibliography).  All materials available are searchable via author, keyword, title, type of publication, language, publisher, or country in the Arab region. 

(Resource Centers) Here you find a database that facilitates your search to resource centers across the Arab region.  You can search contacts of a resource center that you know of by inserting its name, or you can look for resource centers by sector or country.  If you wish to recommend a certain resource center to be added, please send your recommendation on line.

(Organizations) This is the place to communicate with other organizations, network and consider partnerships from across the region! The database you find in this page allows you to search for organizations working in participatory development and applying participatory techniques in the region.  It your organization in the Arab region applies participatory development approaches in its interventions, pleas submit your profile online by following the instructions.

(Case Studies) If you are looking for learning and experiences about projects applying participatory development techniques in the Arab region, this site is your place to surf.  Here you can select the country of interest to your research and case studies available will appear to you.  Double click on title you select to get detailed knowledge.  If you wish to publish your own case or recommend certain case studies, please click on the envelope below and provide us with information or links necessary.

(Links) In this page you find links to relevant web pages, initiatives, or sources of information that might be useful in the context of promoting participatory development. 

(Awards) Under our Promoting Participatory Development (PPD) project that is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) we provide awards for best practices in the application of participatory development.  Application to apply for the award will be published soon; be prepared!

(Discussion Group) If you wish to discuss any issue related to development and participation, here is the place for you to stimulate debates and invite for discussion.  If this page is inactive, take the initiative, contact us, and let us get started!

(Contact Us) This site is built to grow on participation, and your feedback and input is facilitated in every page of this site to make it as interactive as it can be.  We welcome your suggestions, questions, and any kind of input.  Click on icon, and get in contact with Ms. Marwa El Daly, Project Coordinator.