Can Gulf Philanthropy Support Climate Action?
Rihla Initiative Policy Council Member for the Middle East and North Africa
January 19, 2026
The old order is crumbling, and taking billions in development funding with it. Seismic cuts to global aid, paired with a deepening legitimacy crisis in how we organise for social change and the green transition, have left few organisations unscathed. Following a busy year for climate diplomacy and international development finance, the signs are unmistakable: our geopolitical order has shifted. But every collapse creates openings, and some unlikely players may need to step more firmly into the spotlight.
As Western donors retreat and European and North American philanthropies scramble to find their footing, can a new power bloc from the Global South rise to fill the void? And could Gulf philanthropies lead the charge?
The accurate scale and size of the philanthropic muscle in the region is little known, but all indicators suggest that regional philanthropy is a force to be reckoned with. Recent analysis on just the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – estimates philanthropic giving of over $210 billion. In the latest survey of global giving, three countries in the Middle East made it to the top ten. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also featured as international leaders in giving to transnational causes, with one-third of respondents in both countries donating beyond their borders.
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