Projects
Changing Global Geopolitics and “Southern” Responses: How African and Middle Eastern Countries Explore Partnerships and Cooperation
Duration: March 2024 – February 2027
The project explores the multi-dimensional and complex relations between selected Gulf countries (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iran) and four Sub-Saharan countries (South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia). It aims to deconstruct and analyze their economic networks, cultural and religious affiliations, and political and security cooperation. Based on empirical research, the project provides a better understanding of Gulf-African exchange, its challenges and opportunities, as well as its implications for Europe. The project is financed by the Robert Bosch Foundation and will run for three years.
Iran-Saudi Dialogue Initiative
Duration: October 2015 – October 2024
Since 2015, CARPO has established an Iran-Saudi dialogue format in cooperation with the Stimson Center in Brussels. This initiative entails workshops and publications focussing on the exchange of perspectives on relevant issues between diplomats, policy analysts and security experts from both countries.
A first project phase – funded by the German Ministry for Foreign Affairs through the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) – ran from 2015 to 2018. Throughout this period, numerous workshops on a broad variety of topics were implemented and their insights published through publicly available policy briefs. As of 2019, the initiative has entered its second phase and is jointly funded by the Foreign Ministries of Switzerland and the Netherlands.
In 2020 and 2021, this initiative will continue to bring together distinguished stakeholders from Tehran and Riyadh to exchange viewpoints and assessments on issues of shared interest and concern in the Middle East.
Research Cooperation on Peacebuilding in Yemen
Duration: since February 2019
This initiative seeks to develop the capacities of Yemeni and international researchers and organizations in researching and advising on peacebuilding in Yemen. Within its framework, an ongoing series of publications, each resulting from a Yemeni-international research partnership, on aspects of peacebuilding in Yemen is developed and published. The initiative is implemented on behalf of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and co-financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union.
Rethinking Yemen’s Economy – A Track II Initiative
Duration: March 2017 – May 2025
This two-year project is an initiative to identify Yemen’s economic, humanitarian, social and development priorities in light of the ongoing conflict in Yemen, and to prepare for the post-conflict recovery period. It aims to build consensus in crucial policy areas through engaging and promoting informed Yemeni voices in the public discourse.
Science Communication for Social Cohesion and Inclusion in Yemen
Duration: April 2023 – December 2025
This project aims to develop innovative (knowledge) products addressing social cohesion and inclusion in Yemen by initiating networks and cooperation between higher education institutions and non-university partners, including German and Yemeni researchers and students, civil society stakeholders and artists in the fields of science communication, social cohesion and inclusion in Yemen.
Tafahum wa Tabadul
Duration: December 2021 – May 2024 (current project phase)
This project has started in December 2021 and aims to generate further understanding (tafahum) among regional stakeholders and to foster cooperation (tabadul) on common interests in West Asia and the Arabian Peninsula (WAAP) – a region that includes the GCC states, Iran, Iraq and Yemen. In the course of this project, various stakeholders like officials, academics and experts as well as civil society actors will be engaged on various levels with the aim of generating a political climate that is more conducive to regional cooperation. Furthermore it aims at collectively examining the energy-climate-health nexus – a concept that entails economic and ecologic sustainability, as well as regional health resilience, and at fostering people-to-people mobility in the region through exchange activities in the fields of academia and civic education. This 3-year initiative is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and builds on the results of the Tafahum project, which was implemented between 2018-2021.
