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Whyise Founder & CEO Reem Khouri

Jordanian entrepreneur Reem Khouri is co-founder and CEO of Whyise. The company uses impact analytics software to give government and private sector clients real-time data analysis to boost their economic, social, and environmental returns.

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Podcast series

Listen to the latest episode of empowerME Conversations, a podcast featuring conversations with business and government leaders shaping the Middle East.

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empowerME

Event Recap Oct 18, 2021

New opportunities for MENA women to plug into global commerce

By Stefanie H. Ali

Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative held a workshop on “Women in the global supply chain: The importance of increasing women’s access.”

Economy & Business Entrepreneurship
empowerME

MENASource Sep 20, 2021

‘Investing in women is just good business’: Ways to increase funding for women-led ventures in the Middle East

By Stefanie H. Ali

On September 14, 2021 the Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative held a workshop on “Venture Capital Financing: How to Increase Funding for Women-led Ventures.”
Middle East The Gulf
empowerME

MENASource Sep 13, 2021

Defusing Saudi Arabia-UAE tensions through economic rebalancing

By Hani Findakly

By identifying the economic imbalances contributing to the breakdown, recalibration is possible to rebuild a more balanced relationship that circumvents the zero-sum game that has given rise to the Riyadh-Abu Dhabi dispute.
empowerME

MENASource Aug 2, 2021

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are economic frenemies. And that’s a good thing.

By Amjad Ahmad

Both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have wisely made the economy the focal point of their strategies for the future, as evidenced by national policy changes and a reduction in foreign adventures. Ending the Qatar blockade, and opening a dialogue with adversarial neighbors like Iran and Turkey is linked to long-term economic ambitions.
Economy & Business Middle East
empowerME

GeoTech Cues Jun 11, 2021

Can AgriTech entrepreneurs save the Middle East’s food supply?

By Hezha Barzani and Matthew Goodman

On June 9, the Atlantic Council’s GeoTech Center and empowerME Initiative hosted a private, on-the-record roundtable. Read the key takeaways.

Energy & Environment Energy Transitions
empowerME

Press Release Sep 23, 2020

Atlantic Council launches empowerME

New effort from Rafik Hariri Center will be driving force for economic and human prosperity in the Middle East
Economy & Business Middle East
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Regional Programs

IGNITING Women’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Saudi Arabia

A joint project of the Atlantic Council’s empowerME initiative, the US Mission to Saudi Arabia, the American Chamber of Commerce Saudi Arabia, and Quantum Leaps for US and Saudi entrepreneurs and business leaders

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Events

Tue, September 14, 2021 • 9:00 am ET

Venture capital financing: How to increase funding for women-led ventures
Economy & Business Middle East Saudi Arabia
Wed, July 14, 2021 • 9:00 am ET

Angel and Venture Capital Investments: How to become an Angel Investor or VC
Economy & Business Middle East The Gulf
Wed, June 23, 2021 • 9:00 am ET

Igniting women’s entrepreneurship and innovation in Saudi Arabia
Economy & Business Entrepreneurship Middle East Resilience & Society
Tue, March 16, 2021 • 9:00 am ET

Driving investment and entrepreneurship in the Middle East
Economy & Business Middle East

The final report of Middle East Strategy Task Force Co-Chairs Madeleine K. Albright and Stephen J. Hadley proposes nothing short of a paradigm shift in how the international community and the Middle East interact. Not only does the report suggest ways forward for the region’s most immediate crises in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Libya. It also puts forward a pragmatic and actionable long-term strategy that emphasizes the talent and aspirations of the people of the Middle East themselves, with an eye toward harnessing the region’s enormous human potential.

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Four years after the Saudi reform program was unveiled, this study seeks to take a comprehensive look at the state of the Vision 2030 effort: What were the objectives of its creators, what has happened so far, to what extent are reforms advancing these initial objectives that the Saudi government set for itself, and what changes need to be enacted for reforms to succeed?

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Atlantic Council Nonresident Fellow Jonathan Fulton’s report on Sino-Saudi relations begins with a brief historical overview, discusses how the partnership has developed, and ends with an analysis of the bi-lateral relationship within the context of the US-Sino Saudi triangle.

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Team

Leadership

Staff

Amjad Ahmad

Director and Senior Fellow

empowerME Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Economy & Business

Staff

Stefanie H. Ali

Deputy Director

empowerME Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Economy & Business

Fellows

Fellow

Dominik Treeck

Nonresident Senior Fellow

empowerME Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Digital Policy Economy & Business

Fellow

Mohsin Khan

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Economy & Business Fiscal and Structural Reform

Fellow

Nadereh Chamlou

Nonresident Senior Fellow

empowerME Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Economy & Business Farsi

About empowerME

Investing in economic and human prosperity

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Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East

The Atlantic Council’s work on social, economic and human development issues in the Middle East honors the legacy of Rafik Hariri and his life’s mission to unlock the human and economic potential of the Arab world.

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All Content

Event Recap

Oct 18, 2021

New opportunities for MENA women to plug into global commerce

By Stefanie H. Ali

Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative held a workshop on “Women in the global supply chain: The importance of increasing women's access.”

Economy & Business Entrepreneurship

empowerME Conversations

Sep 28, 2021

Transforming logistics

By Atlantic Council

In Season 2, Episode 1 of empowerME Conversations podcast, host and Atlantic Council empowerME Director Amjad Ahmad speaks with UPS President for Indian Subcontinent, Middle East, and Africa Jean-Francois Condamine about the e-commerce boom in the Middle East, promoting sustainability in the logistics industry, and empowering small and medium enterprises to become regional and global exporters.

Economy & Business Middle East

MENASource

Sep 20, 2021

‘Investing in women is just good business’: Ways to increase funding for women-led ventures in the Middle East

By Stefanie H. Ali

On September 14, 2021 the Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative held a workshop on “Venture Capital Financing: How to Increase Funding for Women-led Ventures."

Middle East The Gulf

MENASource

Sep 13, 2021

Defusing Saudi Arabia-UAE tensions through economic rebalancing

By Hani Findakly

By identifying the economic imbalances contributing to the breakdown, recalibration is possible to rebuild a more balanced relationship that circumvents the zero-sum game that has given rise to the Riyadh-Abu Dhabi dispute.

MENASource

Aug 23, 2021

COVID-19 lockdown highlights policies to reduce pollution in Saudi Arabia

By Faisal Algosair and Abdulmohsen Almuhaisen

In March 2020, the Saudi government instituted a national lockdown for three months to prevent the proliferation of the coronavirus. These extraordinary circumstances provide the perfect experiment for policymakers and researchers to investigate whether daily human activities significantly affect pollution levels in an oil-exporting country like Saudi Arabia.

Energy & Environment Middle East

MENASource

Aug 16, 2021

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 aims to empower the non-profit sector. Here are three areas to focus on.

By Ghadah W. Alharthi

The goals of Saudi’s Vision 2030 will require innovation on all fronts, and social entrepreneurship can be a leading driver of the country’s advancement once nurtured properly.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

MENASource

Aug 2, 2021

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are economic frenemies. And that’s a good thing.

By Amjad Ahmad

Both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have wisely made the economy the focal point of their strategies for the future, as evidenced by national policy changes and a reduction in foreign adventures. Ending the Qatar blockade, and opening a dialogue with adversarial neighbors like Iran and Turkey is linked to long-term economic ambitions.

Economy & Business Middle East

MENASource

Jul 19, 2021

Women in Venture Capital: “We don’t need to fix women—we need to fix the system,” says Middle East investment executive

By Stefanie H. Ali

On July 14, 2021 the Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative held a workshop featuring a keynote fireside chat with Lazard Gulf Limited CEO Farah Foustok. Read the key takeaways.

Economy & Business Middle East

In the News

Jun 29, 2021

Saudi Gazette covered empowerME’s Igniting Women’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Saudi Arabia workshop

By Atlantic Council

Economy & Business Entrepreneurship

MENASource

Jun 28, 2021

Princess Reema tells Saudi women entrepreneurs to dream big

By Stefanie H. Ali

On June 23, 2021 the Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative held a workshop featuring a keynote fireside chat with Saudi Ambassador to the United States, Her Royal Highness Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud, which was moderated by US Embassy Riyadh Chargé D’Affaires Martina Strong, and a panel discussion with Endeavor Saudi Arabia Managing Director Lateefa Alwaalan, 500 Startups MENA Partner Amal Dokhan, S&P Global Chief Public & Government Affairs Officer Courtney Geduldig, and UPS Vice President for Community Relations Esther Ndichu, which was moderated by empowerME Director and Resident Senior Fellow Amjad Ahmad.

Economy & Business Entrepreneurship