Designing Cities: Balancing History and Innovation

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Cities are often described as living archives of human memory. Walk through an old neighbourhood in an Islamic city like Fez in Morocco or Cairo in Egypt, and you can see layers of history in its streets and buildings.
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Middle East economic growth to slow to 1.8 percent

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In the event of a prolonged conflict, the current impacts on the region will be compounded through elevated
energy and food prices, declining trade, tourism and remittances, increased fiscal pressures and displacement.
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AI Data Centers And The Thirst For Water

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Artificial intelligence needs vast computing power, and that power now depends on water. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), one of the world’s driest regions, this creates a serious new pressure on already scarce resources.
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Recent Articles

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Sustainability in an unstable world

Sustainability in an unstable world


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Amid new geopolitical conflicts and economic pressures, some argue that sustainability has become an unaffordable luxury. But one should not assume a trade-off between sustainability and security. On the contrary, if we frame climate change, security risks, and economic needs as competing priorities, we risk losing on all fronts.
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Why many Syrian refugees aren’t returning home

Why many Syrian refugees aren’t returning home


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When news of Bashar al-Assad’s downfall broke on December 8 2024, 13 years after the beginning of the Syrian uprising, Syrians around the world rejoiced.
We rejoiced along with them, having spent the last decade in conversation with Syrians displaced to the neighbouring countries of Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, where we research humanitarian aid in refugee camps and revolutionaries in exile.
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Water cooperation is essential when countries share lakes and rivers

Water cooperation is essential when countries share lakes and rivers


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Just over half the world’s population shares a river or lake basin with at least one other country. To sustainably manage those water resources for the health of people, ecosystems and economies, neighboring countries must work together. However, many countries have been less willing to cooperate in recent years, even to protect a resource as vital as freshwater.
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Arab region’s GDP climbs 1.8% to $3.6tn in 2024

Arab region’s GDP climbs 1.8% to $3.6tn in 2024


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he Arab region’s gross domestic product increased by 1.8 percent, reaching $3.6 trillion in 2024, despite facing regional challenges, according to new data.

The report, released by the Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation or Dhaman, showed that growth was primarily concentrated in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Iraq, and Algeria, which together accounted for over 72 percent of the region’s total GDP, as reported by the Kuwait News Agency.
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The Role Of Sustainable Finance In Developing Economies

The Role Of Sustainable Finance In Developing Economies


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Sustainable finance is a crucial driver of economic growth and a catalyst of environmental resilience in developing economies like Kosovo, where my company operates. It allows financial institutions to address climate-related issues while simultaneously providing sustained economic stability.
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