From Environmental Activism to Sustainable States

Maximizing the potential of civil society in the Middle East

Many governments in the Middle East strain to respond to environmental issues. As populations grow and economic crises spread, access to clean water and clean air is an increasingly difficult challenge for many. Citizens have come together and formed local civil society groups to address some of these challenges. These groups often have a far more nuanced understanding of the social, political, and environmental contexts in which they are operating than international development actors. They also have a front-row view of how environmental issues affect states and societies.

CSIS is seeking to understand the diverse efforts of civil society groups working on environmental issues, exploring their successes and failures and the applicability of the lessons they have learned to other settings. Our analysis will take a region-wide, multi-sector approach to help international stakeholders refine their approaches to groups working on environmental issues, and toward civil society groups more broadly.

This project is part of the Middle East Transformation Initiative, which is supported by Bahaa Rafic Hariri.

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The Barriers to MENA Civil Society’s Influence at COP28

Environmental civil society from the MENA region faces unique challenges to achieve that influence at COP, even though the conference is in the Middle East for the second year in a row.

Blog Post by Neeshad Shafi and Will Todman — December 5, 2023

Profile: Arab Youth Climate Movement – Qatar

Climate change and environmental issues have only recently become a subject of public discussion in the Gulf. In the run up to COP21 in Paris in 2015, a group of young people formed the Arab Youth Climate Movement – Qatar (AYCM) to address this issue, becoming the first fully independent youth-led association in Qatar focused on youth and climate issues.

Blog Post by Will Todman — September 20, 2023

Roundtable Summary: Civil Society and Environmental Action in the Gulf

As Gulf governments increase their collaboration on environmental issues, CSIS convened a private roundtable with Gulf civil society actors to explore the role that civil society actors can play in bolstering state-level collaboration efforts and driving environmental action. Participants included academics, activists, and analysts from Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar. They debated avenues to strengthen regional collaboration, pathways for civil society actors to influence government policy, and ways in which international actors can bolster their efforts. 

Blog Post by Will Todman — September 20, 2023

Environmental Civil Society in the Middle East

In a new commentary, senior fellow and deputy director Will Todman explains how civil society holds the key to building more sustainable states in the Middle East, as governments in the region struggle to adequately respond to sharpening environmental challenges

Commentary by Will Todman — June 9, 2023

Bolstering Climate Entrepreneurship in the MENA Region

With limited government capacity to drive climate action in the Middle East and insufficient climate financing, greater international support can allow local entrepreneurs to lead the search for innovative and realistic solutions to the region’s mounting climate crisis.

Commentary by Will Todman and Jamil Wyne — May 5, 2023

Libya’s Civil Society Crackdown Exacerbates Its Climate Woes

Libyan authorities are trying to silence independent voices in the run-up to planned elections, but the crackdown undermines the work of civil society more broadly. Lubna Yousef and Will Todman argue that this strategy is self-sabotaging.

Commentary by Lubna Yousef and Will Todman — May 2, 2023