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Mumzworld Founder and CEO Mona Ataya
Mona Ataya leads the Middle East’s largest e-commerce platform and community focused on mothers and their needs. Learn more about her path to success and her company’s impact on women’s economic empowerment.

empowerME Conversations
Listen to the latest episode of empowerME Conversations, a podcast featuring inspiring stories of entrepreneurs from the MENA region.
Featured news
Wed, Feb 17, 2021
What it takes for MENA to be the next leading venture capital opportunity
Investing in venture capital in the Middle East is not merely an opportunity to gain financial dividends, but also to impact the lives of hundreds of millions of people by adding value and creating local wealth that can then address manifold social challenges. This will allow talent to rise and strengthen the ecosystem further.
MENASource by
Mon, Jan 25, 2021
Region’s economies will benefit from Gulf-Qatar deal
The embargo had a significant negative impact on Qatar’s economy first and foremost, but it also had indirect consequences across the Gulf, and these were ultimately in part responsible for the decision to bring the dispute to a close.
MENASource by
Wed, Jan 6, 2021
MENA’s post-COVID resilience depends on using the talent pool of women
In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), where gender-based inequalities are many and deep-rooted, the concern for women’s setbacks could be more serious due to the pandemic.
MENASource by Nadereh Chamlou
Mon, Jan 4, 2021
Experts react: The US brokers another deal to end the Gulf rift
On January 4, it was reported that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf states are expected to sign a deal towards ending the “Gulf rift.” Atlantic Council experts react to the agreement and what it means for the wider region.
MENASource by
Mon, Dec 14, 2020
Is Jordan’s workforce ready for emerging opportunities in digital entrepreneurship?
By tapping into its large, tech-savvy youth population, which makes up more than half of its citizens, and its markedly underutilized female labor force, Jordan can position itself for dynamic post-COVID economic expansion.
MENASource by Nicole Goldin, PhD
Wed, Dec 9, 2020
The GCC’s digital economy is growing, but risks must be managed
Gulf Cooperation Council governments need to establish effective protections for the digital economy to gain scale and become sustainable.
MENASource by
Fri, Dec 4, 2020
Biden administration should act fast to bolster people-to-people exchanges with the Middle East
While US policy toward individual MENA countries will be hammered out in the interagency process through the first year of the new Joe Biden administration, we recommend action in the first months employing existing Public Diplomacy programs to reinforce support for unlocking human potential.
MENASource by
Wed, Nov 18, 2020
Mudassir Sheikha and Amjad Ahmad on how to create more “unicorns” in the Middle East
Atlantic Council’s empowerME initiative hosted Careem Co-Founder & CEO Mudassir Sheikha and empowerME Director and venture capital veteran Amjad Ahmad for a conversation about Sheikha’s path to success and strategies for building a more productive entrepreneurial ecosystem to create more unicorns in the Middle East. Below are the key takeaways from the discussion moderated by CNBC Reporter & Anchor Hadley Gamble.
MENASource by Allison Holle
Wed, Nov 11, 2020
How the Biden administration will impact Middle East economies
The Biden administration will not be a panacea for Middle East economies but will certainly have a positive impact.
MENASource by Amjad Ahmad
Thu, Oct 29, 2020
Middle East business leaders provide perspective on the economic impact of the upcoming US presidential election
In an empowerME survey conducted in the last thirty days, thirty-two Middle East business leaders shared their views on the possible economic impact of the 2020 US Presidential election. Atlantic Council experts Kirsten Fontenrose, Amjad Ahmad, Mohsin Khan, and Jean-Francois Seznec analyzed the data and provided the following key takeaways.
Elections 2020 by
Mon, Oct 26, 2020
Qatar Development Bank CEO: The “blockade didn’t stop us from growing” and “prepared us for other shocks” like COVID-19
On October 26, 2020, empowerME hosted Qatar Development Bank CEO Abdulaziz Bin Nasser Al Khalifa for a conversation about Qatar’s efforts to boost entrepreneurship, diversify its economy, increase women’s economic participation, and prepare youth for the jobs of the future.
MENASource by Stefanie H. Ali
Tue, Sep 29, 2020
Absence of PhD programs contributes to weak research and development in the Gulf
The production of new knowledge is a very complex process and many factors contribute to the low levels of innovation exhibited by the Gulf countries. One factor that plays a role is the structure of tertiary education—particularly PhD programs.
MENASource by
Mon, Sep 21, 2020
The Middle East is a growing marketplace, not just a war zone
The region is vast and complex, and outsiders who do not fully understand its nations or peoples overlook the nuances of the nearly twenty countries that make up the Middle East.
MENASource by Amjad Ahmad
Fri, Sep 18, 2020
UAE-Israel accord will drive economic growth in the Middle East, says Emirati Minister of Economy
On September 16 empowerME Director Amjad Ahmad and Al Mari discussed how the historic signing of the Abraham Accords will facilitate the UAE and Israel to open their economies.
MENASource by
Fri, Sep 18, 2020
Liberalizing capital, trade, and labor markets are keys to accelerating post-pandemic recovery in Middle East
At a private CEO Dialogue on post-pandemic challenges and opportunities in the Middle East, there was agreement among participants that the region presents appealing demographics for economic growth and that the pandemic has underscored the need to accelerate economic diversification.
MENASource by Stefanie H. Ali
Wed, 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
Press Release by
Events
Featured analysis


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.


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?


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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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.