Doha, Qatar – The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Think Tank Forum, co-hosted by the Middle East Council on Global Affairs (ME Council) and the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of Beirut, concluded successfully in Doha on September 24, 2024. The two-day event brought together leading think tanks from across the Arab region to address critical challenges impacting the region and to explore strategies for deeper institutional collaboration.
Over two days of engaging discussions, the participants—think tank executives from the region— explored innovative strategies to tackle the region’s most pressing challenges. They also assessed both the opportunities and risks facing think tanks operating within the current landscape.
The forum provided a platform for fostering inter-institutional relationships and enhancing the resilience and collective impact of think tanks in the Arab region. Participants shared best practices, developed practical plans for future cooperation, and reinforced the importance of a united approach to addressing complex regional issues.
Building on the insights from a roundtable held in February 2023, the forum officially launched a Think Tank Network for the Arab region, a collaboration designed to enhance the policy impact of think tanks across the region. IFI will serve as the network’s secretariat, responsible for coordinating activities, facilitating dialogue, and ensuring the implementation of shared objectives across member institutions.
Joseph Bahout, Director of IFI, expressed his enthusiasm for the new collaboration: “The launch of the network is a critical step towards building a more connected and impactful think tank community in our region. We look forward to working closely with our partners across the region to address the shared challenges we face.”
Tarik M. Yousef, Director of ME Council, added: “This network is a powerful new platform that will allow think tanks to pool their expertise and resources, enabling more effective communication, cooperation and articulation of policy solutions to the complex issues confronting MENA countries.”
Participants agreed on the need for sustained dialogue and ongoing coordination. Regular meetings of the Think Tank Network are planned, and the next forum will take place in 2025, building on the outcomes of this event to further strengthen regional cooperation.
Institutions that attended the MENA Think Tank Forum include:
- Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network
- Arab Reform Initiative
- Centre de Recherche en Économie Appliquée pour le Développement (CREAD), Algeria
- Centre for Arab Unity Studies, Lebanon
- Centre for Mediterranean and International Studies, Tunisia
- Center of the Gulf & Arabian Peninsula Studies, Kuwait
- College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar
- Economic Research Forum, Egypt
- Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, Egypt
- Gulf Research Center, Saudi Arabia
- Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, Lebanon
- Lebanese Center for Policy Studies, Lebanon
- Middle East Council on Global Affairs, Qatar
- Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis, Morocco
- Policy Center for the New South, Morocco
- Politics and Society Institute, Jordan
- Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, Yemen
- School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, The American University in Cairo, Egypt
- Syrian Center for Policy Research
- Tawasul, Oman
About the Middle East Council on Global Affairs (ME Council)
The Middle East Council on Global Affairs (ME Council) is an independent, non-profit policy research institution based in Doha, Qatar. It conducts policy-relevant research, convenes meetings and dialogues, and engages policy actors on geopolitical and socioeconomic issues specific to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Serving as a bridge between the MENA region and the rest of the world, the ME Council provides a regional perspective on global policy issues. It also establishes partnerships with other leading research institutions and development organizations across the MENA region and the world.
Contact Person
Suzanne Houssari
Director of Communications
About the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of Beirut
Inaugurated in 2006, the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) is an independent, research-based, policy-oriented institute, developing policy-relevant research in and about the Arab world. The Institute aims at bridging the gap between academia and policymaking by conducting high quality research on the complex issues and challenges faced by Lebanese and Arab societies within shifting international and global contexts, by generating evidence-based policy recommendations and solutions for Lebanon and the Arab world and creating an intellectual space for an interdisciplinary exchange of ideas among researchers, scholars, civil society actors, media, and policymakers.
Contact Person
Marina Chamma
Communications Manager