The Rihla Initiative maps new pathways for climate transition and economic prosperity for the Gulf states and countries in the broader Middle East and North Africa, Central Asia and the Caucasus, South and Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The initiative derives its name from the 14th-century travelogue of Ibn Battuta, The Rihla, which symbolises the historical ties between the Gulf and the Global South.

The Bourse & Bazaar Foundation (B&BF) launched the Rihla Initiative for Green Economic Growth in spring 2025 to advance cooperation on climate transition and sustainable economic development among policy, commercial, and technical leaders from the Gulf and the Global South.

Annual Report - 2025

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Annual Report - 2025

Upcoming Events

Edited Volume

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Southbound:

This edited volume brings together twenty-one policy briefs authored by members of the Rihla Policy Council across five geographies: the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Central Asia and the Caucasus, South and Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Insights

Insights
Can Gulf Philanthropy Support Climate Action?
Can Gulf Philanthropy Support Climate Action?

Dina Zayed

Rihla Initiative Policy Council Member for the Middle East and North Africa

January 19, 2026

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Gulf Critical Minerals Playbook Offers Lessons for Central Asia
Gulf Critical Minerals Playbook Offers Lessons for Central Asia

Aruzhan Meirkhanova

Rihla Initiative Policy Council Member for Central Asia and the Caucasus

August 15, 2025

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GCC and ASEAN Expand Collaboration on Climate Investment
GCC and ASEAN Expand Collaboration on Climate Investment

Nguyen Dang Dao

Rihla Initiative Regional Coordinator for South and Southeast Asia

June 10, 2025

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Gulf Investors Plug Into Solar Projects in Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco
Gulf Investors Plug Into Solar Projects in Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco

Ashraf Abdel Rahman

Guest Contributor

May 12, 2025

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Kazakhstan’s Path to Carbon Neutrality Could Run Through the Gulf
Kazakhstan’s Path to Carbon Neutrality Could Run Through the Gulf

Nurlan Sakuov

Guest Contributor

April 30, 2025

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As Corporate America Makes Green Retreat, GCC Firms Should Hold the Line
As Corporate America Makes Green Retreat, GCC Firms Should Hold the Line

Naser Alsayed

Policy Fellows, Rihla Initiative

March 31, 2025

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Uzbekistan’s President Hopes a Decree Will Spur Green Economic Growth
Uzbekistan’s President Hopes a Decree Will Spur Green Economic Growth

Shakhlo Kamaladinova

Rihla Initiative Regional Coordinator for Central Asia and the Caucasus

March 25, 2025

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Gulf States Offer Development Assistance in Central Asia as Western Donors Step Back
Gulf States Offer Development Assistance in Central Asia as Western Donors Step Back

Aijan Sharshenova

Guest Contributor

March 10, 2025

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Uzbekistan's Energy Transition Depends on Systematic Reforms
Uzbekistan's Energy Transition Depends on Systematic Reforms

Louis Skyner

Rihla Initiative Implementation Council Member for Central Asia and the Caucasus

February 1, 2025

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Central Asia Relies on Gulf as it Targets Energy Transition
Central Asia Relies on Gulf as it Targets Energy Transition

Natalie Koch

Guest Contributor

January 22, 2025

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New Climate Financing Targets Present Opportunity for the Gulf
New Climate Financing Targets Present Opportunity for the Gulf

Matthew MacGeoch

Policy Fellow, Rihla Initiative

December 4, 2024

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Rihla Panel Series

Upcoming Events
Rihla Initiative Panel Series - Hydrogen
Dec 3
Rihla Initiative Panel Series - Hydrogen
Rihla Initiative Policy Forum
Nov 2
Rihla Initiative Policy Forum
Rihla Initiative Panel Series - Central Asia and the Caucasus
Oct 8
Rihla Initiative Panel Series - Central Asia and the Caucasus
Rihla Initiative Panel Series - South and Southeast Asia
Oct 2
Rihla Initiative Panel Series - South and Southeast Asia
Rihla Initiative Panel Series - Sub-Saharan Africa
Sep 29
Rihla Initiative Panel Series - Sub-Saharan Africa
Rihla Initiative Panel Series - Middle East and North Africa
Sep 23
Rihla Initiative Panel Series - Middle East and North Africa

Policy Briefs

The Rihla Handbook

Handbook
The Rihla Handbook
The Rihla Handbook

The Rihla Handbook: A Guide to Accelerating Gulf Climate Finance in the Global South

(September 2025)

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