On 17 December 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in the rural Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid. This one-man demonstration was the catalyst for the Arab Spring, a wave of protests across the Arab world against corruption, unemployment and authoritarianism.
Tunisia’s revolution took hold in January 2011 with mass public protests leading to the overthrow of President Ben Ali, who had been in power since 1987. Elections in October 2011 were judged to be free and fair, with a clear victory for the moderate Islamist party Ennahda. A new President has been appointed and the process for drafting a constitution is underway. However, the revolution disrupted the economy, lowering growth prospects.
DFID is providing support to help ensure that Tunisia makes the transition to inclusive and sustainable growth that creates jobs and opportunities for everyone.
Arab Partnership Fund
In response to the Arab Spring the UK set up the Arab Partnership Programme, run jointly by the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). The aim of the programme is to build politically and economically open and inclusive societies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The programme is made up of two components:
The £70 million Arab Partnership Economic Facility (APEF), run by DFID, focuses on ensuring inclusive and sustainable economic development.
APEF has five priority countries – Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Jordan – and carries out both country-level and regional projects. Our programmes aim to promote:
- Job creation through assisting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and enhancing young people’s skills
- Economic growth through increased cross-border trade and improved productivity Effective institutions that are transparent and accountable for government spending
The £40 million Arab Partnership Participation Fund(APPF), run by FCO, focuses on political participation, freedom of expression and political governance.
To find out more about the Arab Partnership, download the Arab Partnership ePamphlet. You can also explore our projects using an interactive google map or follow us on twitter @ArabPartnership.
Country-level projects
In Tunisia, APEF is supporting the following projects:
- Strengthening the employability of 2,500 Tunisian youth through vocational training, as well as supporting youth entrepreneurship with business development and financial services. This Mercy Corps project will have a strong focus on women, with around60% female participation.
- Support to 100 innovative social entrepreneurships to scale upthrough seed grants, mentoring and networking.This African Development Bank project will help create jobs for youth while supporting organizations that have a positive social impact.
Regional programmes
Tunisia will also benefit from multilateral regional programmes that we are contributing to as part of a coordinated donor response. These include:
- £6.8 million to the World Bank/International Finance Corporation to increase access to finance for Micro, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) to benefit more than 250,000 enterprises
- £1.9 million to the International Finance Corporation’s Education for Employment Initiative, delivering tailored training that responds to business needs to get 114,000 young people prepared for work
- £5 million to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to promote private sector development and creation of over 4,000 jobs
- £5 million to the World Bank Multi-Donor Trust Fund to accelerate sustainable growth, create jobs and promote economic and social inclusion
- £2.5 million to the Carnegie Middle East Centre to strengthen research capacity in the region
Conflict Pool
The Conflict Pool brings together DFID, the MOD and the FCOin an attempt to develop a coherent approach to conflict prevention across the globe.
The Conflict Pool supports activities that seek to reduce the number of people around the world whose lives are, or might be, affected by violent conflict. The Pool funds conflict prevention, stabilisation and peacekeeping activities. There is a dedicated Middle East regional pool.
More information is available at the FCO Conflict Pool page