The UAE was the first Middle Eastern country to commit to Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050 which it aims to achieve through decarbonising industries, reducing gas flaring and increasing the speed of energy transition towards more sustainable, greener sources.
Ahead of COP28, the 15th edition Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), first presented in 2008, is clearly even more significant.
The inextricable link between finance, COP’s declared objectives and regional security is likely to frame a triangular narrative for November’s Sharm El-Sheikh agenda. With just a few weeks to go until the opening of the next session, press reports from the MENA region appear to remind western audiences in particular of the perils of ignoring the urgent needs of North Africa and the broader continent.
These notes are intended to form the starting point for a series of commentaries ahead of COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh and, next year, COP28 in the UAE. They are developed from a Middle Eastern perspective and explore the issues affecting the focus for each event, the linkage between the two and the likely ambitions for each host-nation.
Guy Taylor explores the origins of communications and evolutionary media trends that are especially relevant to all those with a keen interest in how we, as individuals or organisations, will communicate in the future. A veteran of comms in the region for 35 years, Guy’s career has witnessed some of the most significant milestones imaginable, from the advent of commercial TV in Saudi Arabia to the internet and social media; but why does this matter?
The 41st GCC Summit will take place on Tuesday January 5th in Riyadh and for the first time in recent years will see leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE all participate in the day-long meeting. The Summit itself is mired in intrigue and speculation that some form of reconciliation will be struck amongst certain opposing members, ending almost four years of the so-called Qatar blockade.
If you are reading this in 2020, it would be difficult not to acknowledge that we are living in truly extraordinary times. But, if this has crossed your path as research in some future study and the year 2020 is from a bygone era, then our current reality may well seem relatively uncomplicated in the same way that we might look back on history, even 10 years prior, with a fondness for its relative straightforwardness…
From the evolution of mankind, the earliest forms of communication were recorded at around 500,000BCE, including making sounds, talking, drawing, dancing, acting, and using signals, fire and drums. Today we’re using Zoom and multiple apps to plug the gap in what these early conventions had on offer. However, the quality and value of communication remains the often over-looked critical lifeline to our humanity.
It is widely accepted that media consumption trends increase dramatically during times of crises in parallel with the demand for the latest, up to date information. In fact, a recent report by Neilson suggests that TV ratings in the US have already increased by 60 percent, live streaming of content by 61 per cent and, in Spain, Netflix is up by 54 per cent. Gaming is also set to make a leap in the coming few weeks, as global consumer spending is set to exceed USD120bn…
In 2015, the UAE announced its Mars Probe mission, which will send the Arab world’s first spacecraft to the red planet in a scientific exploration mission that will land in 2021. In 2017, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan unveiled the “Mars 2117 Project” which aims at its final stage to establish the first inhabitable human settlement in Mars by 2117…
The challenge in the GCC regarding nationals’ employment has never been an issue of availability of jobs. In fact, in most countries there are more jobs than national job seekers (by far). However, when it comes to employment, the large majority of GCC nationals work in the public sector. Put simply, they prefer public sector jobs usually because of higher pay, less working hours, and much higher job security…
Since the Arab uprisings began in 2010, all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have been preoccupied with internal economic and social issues and reform. They have also been more visibly engage in projecting power beyond their borders. However, when Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and to a lesser extent Oman projected power abroad, they are driven by their own domestic challenges rather than by a Gulf consensus. Consequently, GCC countries have adopted contradictory projects in most Arab countries such as…
The Center’s senior fellows reflect on the events of 2016 that will leave an enduring mark on inclusion and economic growth. The US Election, Brexit and the populist wave 2016, like no other year in recent memory, brought to the surface the reality that far too many people are being left behind in the global economy. The U.S. presidential election, the Brexit vote, and the shifting winds on trade…
Throughout history, regional governance was based on nation states working together for their mutual security and prosperity. But the world is changing fast. Dr Yasar Jarrar, Visiting Fellow, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, United Arab Emirates, and senior partner, THC (Dubai) and a member of the Global Future Council on Regional Governance….
With many of its media, analysts and public figures predicting and endorsing a US presidential victory for Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton, the win by Republican candidate Donald Trump shocked Arab countries.
When the UK announced its intention to leave the EU, many questions were raised in the region about the potential impact this will have – especially in light of the strong, and historic, relations between the GCC and UK. More specifically, GCC governments, businesses, and investors outlined three major concerns