This book is concerned with the context for private sector development (PSD) including micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs1), the PSD challenges and the relevant policy, institutional and research capacity, responses and needs in 12 MENA countries: Algeria (AG), Egypt (EG), Iraq (IQ), Jordan (JO), Lebanon (LE), Morocco (MA), Sudan (SD), Syria (SY), Tunisia (TN), Turkey (TR), the West Bank & Gaza (WB&G) and Yemen (YE), hereafter referred to as the MENA-12. The rationale for this particular selection of MENA countries is that they all fall within the geographic domain of the Middle East/North Africa Regional Office (MERO) of Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC).