In January 2015, GRF and Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) launched a joint initiative entitled “Project on the Economic Future of the Middle East and North Africa Region”. The goal of the project is to identify economic solutions to achieve peace and stability in the MENA region through analyzing the impact of political and economic transitions on growth, trade, and investment opportunities; with an emphasis on demographic changes, job growth, and collaboration between international and regional stakeholders, including the private sector, governments, and multilateral organizations.
The inaugural meeting of the project was held on January 14, 2015 at the Metropolitan Club in New York. During the meeting, GRF members convened with distinguished policy and industry leaders from the US to discuss the ways in which the collaboration between the public and private sectors in Turkey and the US can assist the economic transformations in the MENA Region that are required for a path towards sustained development as well as political and economic stability.