Our Events
Green Industry, Geopolitics, and the Gulf's Economic Future
Overview
The event will convene regional government delegations, experts from think tanks and academia, civil society, and international finance institutions to discuss the principal findings and implications of the new dossier, The War on Iran, Economic Diversification, and Green Industrialization in MENA, convened by the Carboun Institute and supported by Open Society Foundations.
The dossier brings together nine contributors to examine whether the Iran war will accelerate the region’s transition away from hydrocarbon dependence or reinforce and prolong the existing political economy of fossil-fuel dependence.
The event begins with a networking light lunch. It will feature keynote speeches by Mahmoud Mohieldin, United Nations Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Agenda, and Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and founder-Secretary of IDEAs.
Speakers
Panel discussion moderated by Rabia Ferroukhi, Director - International Network for Energy Transition Think Tanks (INETTT).
Dawud Al Ansari, Founder & President, Shaheen Institute for Strategy and Development
Fuad Hasanov, Senior Economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Diala Hawila, Head of Programs, Carboun Institute
Faris Al-Sulayman, PhD Candidate at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and Co-founder at Haala Energy
To register for a seat, please click on the link below. Those who are allocated a seat will be contacted by email. Kindly contact events@carboun.com should you have any questions.
UAE Steel Decarbonization Dialogue
This session draws on the Steel Status Report 2026 UAE findings. The UAE scores among the highest in the region on sovereign financing and export positioning: the UAE's steel ecosystem combines state-linked ownership and private capital-markets discipline with early moves on clean-energy procurement and carbon capture, positioning it among the region's more commercially legible low-carbon steel platforms.
The Carboun Institute is convening a closed-door session together with the Alliance for Industrial Decarbonisation (AFID), to ask whether the UAE's steel sector is moving from pilot to volume across both routes, and what's needed to scale them further, against a backdrop of recent geopolitical disruption to iron ore and export shipping routes, and more persistent, systemic barriers to scale. Participants' perspectives will feed directly into a cross-country synthesis and into how Carboun Institute shapes its steel-sector work for 2027.
The China–MENA Energy and Climate Forum
The Carboun Institute convenes a high-level invitation-only dialogue, bringing together policymakers, business leaders, investors, researchers and international partners to take stock of the current landscape of the China–MENA energy and climate cooperation, discuss emerging trends and challenges, and explore pathways for deepening collaboration in support of the region's energy transition and industrial development ambitions. The event will also feature the launch of the Carboun Institute's report assessing the current state of China–MENA renewable energy engagement.
Session 1: China–MENA Climate and Energy Cooperation: Current Trends and Future Outlook
This session presents current trends, investment patterns, and key findings from the Carboun Institute status report. It analyzes the scale and nature of climate and energy cooperation across the region and explores new areas of collaboration and strategic directions that will shape China–MENA energy relations over the next decade.
- Moderator: Dr Neil Quilliam, Associate Fellow at Chatham House
- Dr Ahmed Aboudouh, Director East Asia Unit at the Emirates Policy Center
- Dongmei Chen, Principle Fellow at KAPSARC
- Jemima Oakey, Research Fellow at the Carboun Institute
Session 2: From Projects to Partnerships – Industrial Development and Technology Transfer
This panel discussion explores actionable strategies to strengthen global collaboration through localized manufacturing, resilient supply chain development, workforce upskilling, and joint R&D initiatives.
- Moderator: Hayley Schuler-McCoin, Senior Research Fellow at the Carboun Institute
- Dr Amir Lebdioui, Director of the University of Oxford's TIDE Centre
- Dr Mathias Larsen, Senior Policy Fellow at London School of Economics (LSE) Grantham Research Institute
- Byford Tsang, Senior Policy Fellow at European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)
Session 3: Energy Transition Finance in MENA
This session presents the landscape of energy transition finance in MENA and examines the role of Chinese finance, multilateral institutions, sovereign investors, and private capital in supporting the region's transition to low-carbon energy systems.
- Moderator: Dr Glada Lahn, Senior Geopolitics, Energy and Climate Lead at Ditchley Park
- Dave Jones, Chief Analyst, Ember
- Costanza Strinati, Manager at the Climate Policy Initiative
- Faris Sulayman, PhD Candidate at LSE
Renewables, Resilience and Regional Cooperation: China-MENA Energy Partnerships in the Shadow of the Iran War
An invitation-only roundtable convened by the Carboun Institute on 26 June 2026 at wallacespace Clerkenwell Green, London.
The panel will examine how the Iran conflict is reshaping MENA states' energy transition timelines, whether fossil fuel market instability is accelerating electrification across the region, and what role Gulf investment, Chinese technology, and European financing play in delivering a renewable energy transition that is rapid, affordable, and equitable.
Speakers include Dr Mathias Larsen (LSE Grantham Institute), Professor Anoush Ehteshami (Durham University), Jemima Oakey (Carboun Institute), and Faris Al-Sulayman (LSE Grantham Institute).
The event targets senior policymakers, researchers, and climate finance professionals. Its primary objectives are to inform decision-making on geopolitical risk and the MENA energy transition, and to build the cross-sector partnerships needed to scale renewable deployment across the region.
Mobilizing Islamic Finance for Climate and Energy Transition
Overview
A closed strategic roundtable convened on the sidelines of the IsDB Annual Meetings 2026 in Baku. Convened by IFAAS Group, in collaboration with the Carboun Institute.
The roundtable brings together senior figures from Islamic finance, climate policy, and international development to explore how Islamic finance can be more systematically mobilized toward climate and energy transition priorities. Discussions will cover practical pathways for capital deployment, barriers to scaling, and the potential role of ecosystem coordination through the emerging Global Islamic Climate Finance Alliance (GICFA), including consideration of the Baku Communiqué.
Participants:
Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin — UN Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Agenda
Nigar Arpadarai — Former UN Climate Change High-Level Champion, COP29
Dr. Farrukh Raza — Chairman, AAOIFI Governance and Ethics Board (AGEB)
Ms Hajar Khamlichi — North Africa Director, PIE
Dr. Anouar Gadhoum — Senior Associate, IFAAS Group
Dr. Moutaz Abojeib — CEO, IFAAS Group
Karim Elgendy — Executive Director, Carboun Institute
Dr. Tarık Akın — Investment and Finance Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye
Green Industry and Global Trade: What Role for the MENA Region?
A policy breakfast convened by the Carboun Institute during New York Climate Week and the UN General Assembly 2025.
The session launched Carboun's new policy paper on the MENA region's decarbonization opportunity in the global green iron and steel sector, featuring a fireside chat with report author Fadi Al-Noaimi on why MENA is uniquely positioned to lead in green iron, the conditions for success, and the policy priorities for this critical moment.