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Social development concerns itself with: promoting the inclusion of poor, vulnerable and excluded groups (especially youth and women); strengthening social cohesion and the capacity for collective action towards development and; enhancing the capacities of citizens and civic groups to hold accountable the institutions that serve them.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has a rich historical, cultural and religious heritage. It is endowed with human, natural, and financial resources, has valuable biodiversity, and exhibits a high level of infrastructure development. Extreme poverty in the region is quite low and aggregate human development indicators are generally fair, owing to extensive government transfers, supplemented by remittances and widely shared traditions of family and social responsibility among the population. 

Over the last two decades, MENA countries have made noticeable progress in social development. Initiatives have been launched for (i) the inclusion of youth, women and other vulnerable groups; (ii) the reinvigoration and empowerment of local communities; and (iii) improving citizen and private sector access to information on government-related opportunities and benefits. However, the MENA region still faces the social development challenges of inclusion (youth, women, and vulnerable groups), social cohesion (urban and rural space) and greater accountability.