Advancing Dialogue on the Future of the Middle East and North Africa Regional Agenda

The World Economic Forum's 2017 Annual Meeting focuses on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region through three pillars: catalyzing conflict resolution via diplomatic dialogue, enabling generational transformation to reduce energy dependency, and strengthening humanitarian responses. The agenda includes private sessions on the future of Syria and the broader geopolitical situation, as well as discussions on the Fourth Industrial Revolution's impact on Arab economies and Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. The event also addresses the refugee crisis, noting that while Arabs comprise 5% of the global population, they account for half of the world's refugees.

• The Middle East and North Africa region faces a critical need to transition toward economic models characterized by greater inclusion and a reduced reliance on energy exports.
• The region is experiencing severe humanitarian crises, with the Arab world accounting for 50% of global refugees despite representing only 5% of the world's population; Syria specifically has seen more than 10 million people displaced.
• Economic reforms in the region are being driven by factors such as falling oil prices, the influence of technology, and youth unemployment rates that are nearly double the global average.
• Saudi Arabia has developed a specific reform framework known as Vision 2030 intended to transform its society and economy to move away from oil dependency.

APA

World Economic Forum (2017). Advancing Dialogue on the Future of the Middle East and North Africa Regional Agenda. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/Media/AM17/Advancing_Dialogue_MENA.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Advancing Dialogue on the Future of the Middle East and North Africa Regional Agenda. 2017. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/Media/AM17/Advancing_Dialogue_MENA.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Advancing Dialogue on the Future of the Middle East and North Africa Regional Agenda |date=2017 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/Media/AM17/Advancing_Dialogue_MENA.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2017advancing, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Advancing Dialogue on the Future of the Middle East and North Africa Regional Agenda}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2017}, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/Media/AM17/Advancing_Dialogue_MENA.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }