The Middle East Regional Platform is USAID’s regional platform serving the Middle East and North Africa, supporting Agency goals by providing shared support services and technical assistance to USAID Missions and Offices with an emphasis on limited- and non-presence countries. The Middle East Regional Platform also serves as a regional convener for trainings and meetings and events based on regional or bilateral interest.

Established in 2015, the Middle East Regional Platform (MERP) provides technical, management, and operational support to USAID Missions, Offices and country programs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). MERP’s primary objectives are to: 

• Assist client Operating Units (OU), particularly those working in limited and non-presence environments, to advance USAID objectives 
• Serve as an integrated member of client OU teams 
• Provide high quality and cost-effective program, technical, and support services 
• Optimize Frankfurt as an Agency training center

Operating from USAID’s Support Center in Frankfurt, Germany, MERP helps client Operating Units address and mitigate operational constraints. The Regional Platform provides a cost-effective remote solution by offering clients access to shared support services in the same time zone, including in the areas of contracting, management, legal, financial management, program, and technical support. Regional Platform staff often serve as an extension to the client teams. The platform also serves as a base for bilateral positions that cannot be assigned in-country and as a regional training center and platform to support knowledge sharing across the region. 

MERP by the numbers

• MERP supports 10 USAID Operating Units in the MENA region
• MERP provides management and human resource services for 200+ staff across the region. 
• MERP provides contracting and financial management of approximately 100 contracts and grants across 7 countries valued at $2.1 billion.
• MERP helped USAID Operating Units to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by partnering with their staff to set up new awards and set out modifications to existing activities enabling approximately $12.7 million in COVID-19 programming obligations in FY20
• MERP advises and staffs strategic planning, technical design, and programming of $1 billion across 10 countries.
• MERP staff provide on-the-ground programmatic, management, and technical support to USAID’s programs across the MENA region.
• MERP supports monitoring, evaluation, and oversight of specialized activities in limited and non-presence environments.
• MERP serves as a training and collaboration hub, hosting approximately 500+ participants annually for USAID courses and events.