It’s 2 years since I became Blog Coordinator for the World Bank’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This role has helped expand my world and understanding of the complex issues facing MENA. What an opportunity it has been to look through this unique lens during a period of profound change. The blog name,
Voices and Views, is a nice way of encapsulating the spirit of these times and reflecting how the region has changed into a place where individual voices can be heard, views shared and the world looked at through a new lens.
Since its big-bang beginning with the “Arab Spring”, the MENA Blog has evolved and grown, featuring various perspectives from economists, young people, political commentators, and leaders in their respective fields within and outside the World Bank. Each has contributed in their own way, inviting readers into their world discussing issues as diverse as prospects for the region’s economy, sports used for addressing gender challenges, women rapping as political commentary, solid waste management in the Palestinian Territories, China learning from solar power advancements in Morocco, award winning Arabic literature, urban development, governance and social accountability…the list goes on and on.
Now in its second year, the blog has had a facelift – with new features (Recent Comments, Most Popular Posts, Archives, Social Media Links, etc.) – and is ready to share more views. The success of the blog depends as much on bloggers and their contributions as on comments generated by the posts. So, your views do matter. The blog also complements our regional website and growing (already 194,000 fans) MENA Facebook Page.
These platforms all create a medium in which to feature and highlight the amazing work in the region, share its many voices and views, showcase its diverse and complex issues, and, hopefully, show the growing strength of the voices that powerfully resonate across its countries – and across the world among people who care deeply about MENA’s future and development.
Thank you for making this blog a success, for your continued readership and hopefully, your future contribution.
Read about which blogs and topics generated the most interest in 2012 here.
Since its big-bang beginning with the “Arab Spring”, the MENA Blog has evolved and grown, featuring various perspectives from economists, young people, political commentators, and leaders in their respective fields within and outside the World Bank. Each has contributed in their own way, inviting readers into their world discussing issues as diverse as prospects for the region’s economy, sports used for addressing gender challenges, women rapping as political commentary, solid waste management in the Palestinian Territories, China learning from solar power advancements in Morocco, award winning Arabic literature, urban development, governance and social accountability…the list goes on and on.
Now in its second year, the blog has had a facelift – with new features (Recent Comments, Most Popular Posts, Archives, Social Media Links, etc.) – and is ready to share more views. The success of the blog depends as much on bloggers and their contributions as on comments generated by the posts. So, your views do matter. The blog also complements our regional website and growing (already 194,000 fans) MENA Facebook Page.
These platforms all create a medium in which to feature and highlight the amazing work in the region, share its many voices and views, showcase its diverse and complex issues, and, hopefully, show the growing strength of the voices that powerfully resonate across its countries – and across the world among people who care deeply about MENA’s future and development.
Thank you for making this blog a success, for your continued readership and hopefully, your future contribution.
Read about which blogs and topics generated the most interest in 2012 here.
Join the Conversation