A Conversation with HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan

This event helps mark the publication of "Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East," published by the CSIS Middle East Program.

Environmentally sustainable approaches to the provision of power, water, and sanitation do more than merely build more reliable services. As the trust gap between populations and their governments widens and the climate crisis in the Middle East worsens, sustainable public utilities could also contribute to lasting social peace in the region.

Please join us for a discussion on the role of developing sustainable public utilities in building regional security in the Middle East with His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal. 

HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal served as Jordan’s crown prince for over three decades. He was the late King Hussein’s closest political advisor, confidant, and deputy. He played a central role overseeing Jordan’s first four development plans, and he has a long record of seeking to build collaborative frameworks around shared water resources, ensuring the sustainable use of energy and water resources, and building the livelihoods of people in the Middle East through a human dignity-centered approach to security. Prince El Hassan has helped found a number of Jordanian and international organizations, among them the West Asia-North Africa (WANA) Institute, which he chairs. The WANA Institute seeks to generate solutions to regional problems through dialogue on the region’s shared social, environmental, and economic challenges. He has also worked extensively with the United Nations on humanitarian causes, serving as the chairman of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation and the High-Level Forum for the Blue Peace Middle East Plan. Prince El Hassan holds both a B.A. and an M.A. from Oxford University. 

This event was made possible by a donation from the Embassy of Qatar in Washington, D.C. The shape of this event, as well as the opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in it, are those of the speakers and do not represent the view of the embassy or the government of Qatar, which did not participate in the planning of the event or approve its content.