As the United Nations Climate Summit COP27 has come to a close in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, the conference’s key aim of ensuring full adherence to the Paris Agreement is unlikely to be fulfilled. Since last year’s COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, ‘only 29 out of 194 countries came forward with tightened national plans,’ a UN press release stated.

Yet, while most members are making some efforts to cap climate change, the Gulf Cooperation states have focused on the need for a two-pronged approach to climate — focusing on both oil and green energy — amid rising energy demand following the war in Ukraine and the nations’ reliance on energy exports as a mainstay of their economics.

Qatar will become the first Arab state to host the prestigious FIFA World Cup. Having a population of less than 3 million, it is the smallest host country to ever organize the event. Being a popular sport in the Middle East, soccer unites the region culturally and socially.

Even though Doha has hosted other sports events like the IAAF World Athletics Championships, the Asian Football Confederation Cup and the World Men’s Handball Championship, and will be holding the Asian Games in 2030, the FIFA World Cup is the largest high-profile event to take place in the state of Qatar.

As the event edges nearer, it promises to have a wide impact as fresh opportunities are emerging for Qatar, other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and the surrounding region.

Like other industries, environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria are also of legitimate importance for PR practitioners. Proximity to questionable corporate or political actors, child labour, environmental malpractice, and other issues, have profound implications for business and the wider profession. The expected ideal response is for agencies to distance themselves from such clients. But is walking away always the most sensible action to take? PR firms’ engagement with the fossil fuel sector, and calls to cut these ties, provide food for thought.

Qatar’s emergence as a key diplomatic partner during the evacuation was not a coincidence, but the result of the small peninsular emirate’s continued soft power diplomacy over the past 25 years. Along with an array of sophisticated long-term measures towards economic diversification, infrastructure, human and societal development across almost every sector, Doha’s calculations have included establishing Qatar as a diplomatic hub and an essential member of the current multilateral system.

Humanitarian aid has served as a linchpin for Qatar’s efforts to secure a leading role as an international mediator. While Qatar has repeatedly underscored the importance of separating politics from critical support for the Afghan people, humanitarian aid does have a long tradition in the Arab world.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that, prior to COVID-19, any number of international conferences took place on a weekly basis. Indeed, as the world moved into lockdown organisers responded by moving proceedings online or hosting hybrid events with strict hygiene protocols. And yet, as the recently-concluded COP 26 demonstrated, there still is an obvious need for policymakers to meet in person. The same can be said for smaller international events that have their own clout, and often are at the very foundation of positive policy discussions and developments.

The regional fabric provides food-for-thought regarding the theoretical sharing of such opportunities, even if the GCC remains an unlikely candidate, not just in light of the now concluded diplomatic crisis and blockade of Qatar. Doing so also justifies a look back at the deep commonalities that were more obvious before the rift.

Health diplomacy, a facet of foreign policy that serves both global health and international relations, has experienced an upswing. Looking at perhaps the most monumental challenge, steady global dispatch of vaccines and supplies, it is the logistics hub in Qatar that may bring decisive advantages to the international table.

Sudan got caught up in the rivalries between Gulf countries. At a time of economic crisis, the survival of its new transitional government depends on outside support.

Despite declining global popularity, press releases remain the workhorses of the GCC’s newsrooms and communications industry. Yet, as the region moves ahead with its national development visions, this tried and trusted PR tool might eventually find itself surplus to requirements.