Middle East & North Africa

Regional Reviewer: Samiul Hasan
Institutional Affiliation: Independent

Overview

Past world trends in the evolution of philanthropic organizations (POs) are manifesting in the region of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Six republics with elected governments are inhibiting PO space, and seven monarchies are expanding PO space. The republics endeavor to reclaim “territory” (i.e., unchallenged power to create and implement policy without being criticized), while the monarchies aim to show concern for people (i.e., by creating space for POs to deliver goods and services, though notably not permitting policy advocacy). Ultimately, in both groups of countries, PO space is limited to the delivery of goods and services within regulated parameters.

Laws in these MENA countries (i.e., the 13 countries in the “Middle East and North Africa” region included in this review) specify blanket restrictions on PO objectives or activities, including the following prohibitions: breaching the public order, conflicting with customs or traditions, risking national security, disrespecting heritage, interrupting others’ freedom, operating as a secret organization, questioning any religious ruling, violating public morals, and so on. These ambiguous terms are purposive rather than accidental, in expanding executive discretion and restricting PO activity (Hasan, 2014).

POs in these MENA countries typically take the form of a foundation rather than association, because forming and operating a foundation is generally easier in this region, except possibly for Türkiye. Forming a foundation saves POs the trouble of finding the seven to ten like-minded people required to establish an association, who might be in mutual competition with the given PO’s ideas or resident personalities.

In many countries, a major feature of POs is an aversion to democracy. Even more so, this is the case for POs receiving foreign funding, since foreign donors focus more on performance than governance (Hasan and Onyx, 2008b). It is no different for POs in the participating MENA countries.

Since 2011, governments in the region endeavored to create economic opportunities for citizens; fundraising and transferring funds has become a new business, especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Formalization of these activities helps governments easily monitor possible money laundering and illicit financing. As a result, AI POs, or e-POs (i.e., online nonprofit companies that raise and transfer funds), seem to have become the newest kind of PO or, alternate PO, functioning in some of these MENA countries.

POs in the region function in increasingly bureaucratic and narrow environments but remain resilient, apparently due to their careful avoidance of “trespassing” on the territory of political parties or the prerogatives of traditional leaders.

View the full 2025 GPEI Middle East & North Africa regional report:

View Middle East & North Africa Report