The Arabian Peninsula envisions diversifying its oil-based economy into everything from technology to sports, and tourism is a deliberate attempt to realize a new vision and set a new image. While sports is an important aspect of its image building, advancement in the technology business is a big part of this revision. A few months ago, the Energy Minister of UAE Souhail al-Mazrouei announced that the country won't seek a further increase in its Opec-plus production baseline before 2025 despite increasing its production capacity.

Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (MBS), the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, is leading this transformation in Saudi Arabia. He has a broad vision for the entire Middle East. The emerging technology realm and diversification of its oil-based economy can be seen across the country. He is pet project and a technological marvel, Neom is taking shape in Saudi Arabia’s far northwest, stretching from the sun-scorched Red Sea coast into craggy mountain badlands. We are talking about the epitome of desserts with summer temperatures over 100F and almost no fresh water.

Furthermore, the ‘India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor’ announced at the 2023 G20 New Delhi summit is set to be a game changer in establishing connectivity between the Middle East and the rest of the world. The trade route between the Gulf, Europe, and India is set to be transformed by a new plan that connects them by rail and sea. It is a bold project that India, the US, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the European Union (EU) agreed to work on together. While this makes the sector quite conducive for investment, it also points fingers at the dire need and scale of responsibilities toward climate. It’s the right time to present our yearly special issue featuring some exciting stories from the Middle East.