The Bourse & Bazaar Foundation is the primary institution behind Rihla, but the Initiative is driven by high-impact partnerships with regional institutions to organize convenings, generate research, and engage policymakers and industry leaders.

The Policy Forum will bring together more than 50 participants for two days of meetings. Earthna Center for a Sustainable Future, a leading climate policy research and advocacy center and a member of Qatar Foundation, is the initiative’s partner for the Policy Forum, taking place in Doha in November 2025. The Forum represents the first dedicated platform for Gulf–Global South dialogue on climate finance and green economic growth hosted in the Gulf region. By convening voices from across MENA, CAC, SSEA, and SSA, it reinforces the Gulf’s role as a partner in shaping sustainable development pathways for the Global South. The Forum will include regional, sector-specific, and cross-regional sessions, as well as high-profile panels open to the public.

The Rihla Summit in September 2026 will serve as the initiative’s capstone event, engaging policymakers, industry leaders, and both Global South and GCC representatives. The Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA), a world-class Emirati diplomatic institute, is the initiative’s partner for the Rihla Summit in Abu Dhabi. The summit will present key research findings, foster high-level discussions of the GCC’s role in green finance, and solidify commitments to long-term sustainable investment strategies. It will also create opportunities for emerging Gulf professionals and regional experts to influence policy discourse on GCC investments in green economic growth across the Global South.

Public panels are a cornerstone of the initiative’s convening agenda, bringing the work of the councils into dialogue with policymakers, practitioners, and regional stakeholders. Organized with leading institutions in the four regions and the Gulf, each panel highlights region-specific challenges and opportunities for GCC investments while providing a platform for council members to present emerging insights. Together, these panels constitute the Rihla Panel Series, providing global visibility and grounding the initiative’s research in local and regional realities.

• Gulf (Abu Dhabi, UAE) – In partnership with the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy

• Middle East and North Africa (Rabat, Morocco) – In partnership with the Policy Center for the New South and the Imal Initiative for Climate and Development

• Sub-Saharan Africa (Pretoria, South Africa) – In partnership with the South African Institute for International Affairs, supported by the UAE Embassy in Pretoria

• South and Southeast Asia (Bangkok, Thailand) – Hosted with the support of The Rockefeller Foundation

• Central Asia and the Caucasus (Almaty, Kazakhstan) – In partnership with CAPS Unlock