Agendas for change across the region need to include women in all essential respects, towards equal treatment at a social and economic level.

1. PURPOSE 

MacMag GLIP is primarily a forum for debate, learning and exchange on women, gender and development issues for interested groups in the Middle East and Maghreb region. We have built a strong foundation of networks through working with NGOs and gender groups across the region. With experience and expertise in gender training, gender mainstreaming, regional exchange and networking make MACMAG GLIP your focal point for access to gender information in the region.

We are essentially a forum providing opportunities for analysis, learning and information exchange on women, gender and development from grassroots organizations to NGOs at all levels aimed at strengthening and sustaining institutional capacity and dialogue as well as lending support and solidarity to women and gender issues through our focal points across the region.

2. PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Our objectives are to:

• create and facilitate debate sharing information and learning on gender across the Middle East/Maghreb region
• strengthen the skills and knowledge on gender and development issues
• develop a sustainable pool of local expertise among organizations and individuals in the region
• develop and provide communication material, learning and training resource materials on gender development issues in Arabic and other languages in the region
• provide a platform for information exchange, communication, interaction and support on gender and development at an individual, group, regional and even a global level

• training and capacity building – to further skills, knowledge and expertise on women and gender development as well as information exchange through country based and regional training workshops.
• communications and publications – we offer a regional database on women, gender and development. We publish a regional newsletter three times per annum as well as publishing the Oxfam gender newsletter “Links” in Arabic, among various other publications on women, gender and development in Arabic.
• exchange programmes – sharing experiences and exchange of knowledge and skills is a vital component to our growing as an organization. We encourage and coordinate visits between groups and NGOs in the Middle East/Maghreb region as well as coordinating collaborative projects and research with the aim of promoting cross-regional networks.

4. WHAT MACMAG GLIP HOPES TO ACHIEVE 

Our vision is towards:

• a better understanding of gender and development
• developing gender sensitive change agents and development and field workers
• promoting the use of analytical tools specifically tailored towards the evaluation of gender development
• increasing availability of gender tools and resources in Arabic and other languages spoken in the region
• systematic mainstreaming of gender in various development sectors
• positively influencing policy formulation processes in favor of gender mainstreaming and transforming gender bias in societies
• creating a constructive space for interaction, debate and exchange of information on gender and development in the Machreq/Maghreb region
• having a constructive and positive impact on gender relations at all levels

5. PROJECT'S STRUCTURE 

Our regional coordinating office is based in Beirut, Lebanon. The organizational structure is flat with country specific focal points across the region. We have a voluntary steering committee of development activists committed to gender development supported by an international advisory board offering the highest levels of expert advice in gender and development matters globally.

With the support of OXFAM GB and the European Union