2nd Annual MENA Think Tank Forum:

The Arab region is undergoing significant political and economic challenges. The two ongoing conflicts in Sudan and Palestine and the fall of the Assad regime have opened the arena for questions about effective governance and international norms. Similarly, the current changes in global trade in light of shifting US trade policies, increasing significance of BRICS+ and China is pushing Arab thinkers to devise strategies for engagement with the current world order while prioritizing regional interests.

Against this backdrop and following the success of the first Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Think Tank Forum, the 2nd annual meeting was co-hosted by the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of Beirut, and the Middle East Council on Global Affairs (ME Council). The two-day event gathered members of the Arab Think Tank Network, as well as regional and international experts, to discuss the global shifts impacting the region and the role regional actors, including think tanks, can play in the debate on global public goods to ensure it reflects the region’s needs and priorities.

Over the two days, representatives of the region’s leading think tanks and policy institutes explored the conceptualization of global public goods and their priority in the Arab region, with a focus on the flow of capital, climate change, movement of goods and people, and financial developments. Challenges and opportunities facing the region in the provision, production, and governance of global public goods, as well as the potential for collaboration, collective action, and policy engagement in national and international arenas, were explored.