10 November

The GRC signed a memorandum of understanding to be the �Knowledge Partner� for the Young Arab Leaders Annual Forum 2006 scheduled for November 25-27 in the Dead Sea Jordan.

As part of the agreement, the GRC will provide concept papers for some of the plenary sessions, summarize topics to be debated, provide a list of questions on each of the sessions for use by the respective moderators, and provide relevant background literature and documentation services.

The Young Arab Leaders is a network of Arab men and women who have seen the power of action in their own lives, reached unprecedented levels of success for their age, who are positive and can see beyond today�s difficulties to that vision of a prosperous Arab future. These leaders are currently in prominent positions of responsibility and are destined for extraordinary achievement, and they believe that their efforts today can have an impact on their communities, countries and the region as a whole.

19 September 2006

The Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting peace and development through the transformation of military-related processes, functions, activities, assets ad structures effectively and efficiently. The BICC and the GRC have agreed to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Gulf region and the German organization�s areas of concern. 

27 August 2006

The Islamabad-based National Defence College (NDC) – a leading institute offering exclusive strategic disciplines of study and serving as a think tank for the Pakistani military and government – and the GRC have agreed to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Gulf region and Pakistan.

The NDC is affiliated to the Pakistan Armed Forces with a mission to train selected senior officers of the armed forces and civil services of the country, as well as senior military officers from allied countries, for higher responsibilities at policy planning levels.

16 July  2006

The Institute of International Sociology of Gorizia (ISIG), an independent research institute in Italy, signed a MoU with the GRC to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Gulf region and Central Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean basin countries. The two organizations agreed to collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.

Founded in 1968, ISIG was born from the eagerness of Franco Demarchi and some far-sighted local leaders to contribute to changing the world through research, organizing academic meetings, publishing books and journals and training the elites of a peaceful Europe. Gorizia – located on the border between eastern and western Europe, was chosen as the symbol of a border on which new ideas and prospects could be worked out in order to develop international cooperation and the dialogue between different cultures and systems.

1 July  2006

The University of Queensland, through the Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, and the GRC signed a letter of indent to cooperate, collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, knowledge dissemination, internationalization of higher education in the fields of international relations, global politics, peace and conflict studies, networking and internships.

The University of Queensland is one of Australia's premier learning and research institutions. The University is a founding member of the national Group of Eight, an alliance of research-strong "sandstone" universities committed to ensuring that Australia has higher education institutions which are genuinely world class. It belongs also to the global Universitas 21 alliance. This group aims to enhance the quality of university outcomes through international benchmarking and a joint venture e-learning project with The Thomson Corporation.

June 4 2006

The Center for Policy Studies in Russia (PIR Center) and the GRC signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the following possibilities: short executive learning program for the Gulf officials and business community on Russia's foreign policy in the Middle East; workshop on Russia-Gulf common interests and strategic agenda; and dialogue on energy security-related issues.

The PIR Center is an independent nongovernmental organization founded in April 1994 and based in Moscow. It carries out research, as well as educational, public awareness and publishing activities, and provides consulting services. The priority areas of the Center's research are international security, arms (primarily nuclear) control and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

21 May 2006

The Madrid-based FRIDE (La Fundacin para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Dialogo Exterior) and the GRC signed a MoU to collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.

FRIDE is a private, independent, and non-profit organization. Its objective is to contribute to the consolidation of democracy, peace, respect for human rights, and human development. Through the implementation of projects, studies, analysis, publications, debates and public information, FRIDE promotes both reflection and action on these issues, and contributes to the development of public policy towards the realization of its goals.

16 April 2006

The Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University, Canberra, and the GRC signed a MoU to cooperate, collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, knowledge dissemination, internationalization of higher education in the fields of international relations, global politics, networking, internships and events.

8 April 2006

8 April 2006

The Institute of Diplomatic Studies, affiliated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Saudi Arabia, and the GRC signed an agreement to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Gulf region. The two institutes agreed to collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.

27 March, 2006

The GRC has agreed to be a part of the Paris-based Arab Reform Initiative, which is a network of independent Arab research and policy institutes, with partners from the United States and Europe. Its goal is to mobilize the Arab research capacity to advance knowledge and develop a program for democratic reform in the Arab World which is realistic and home grown. The Initiative also aims to produce policy recommendations that can help promote reform in the region.

4 March, 2006

23 January, 2006

The GRC and Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, Germany, signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a partnership for offering consultancy services for economic development planning, design of economic development strategies and long-term visions, definition of social and economic policies for development and improving the welfare of society in the six GCC countries, and Yemen.

GTZ is a public-benefit service enterprise for development cooperation with worldwide operations. Established in 1974 and owned by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, the organization operates as a private sector enterprise with a development policy mandate - to make sustainable improvements to the living conditions of people in partner countries and to conserve the natural resource base.
 

1 January, 2006

The GRC and the Damascus-based Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD) reached an agreement to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to environmental and natural resource conservation and sustainable development in the Gulf region. The organizations agree to collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.

The ACSAD is a specialized Arab organization working within the framework of the League of Arab States with the objective of unifying Arab efforts which aim to develop scientific agricultural research in the arid and semi-arid areas, help in exchange of information and experiences and make use of scientific progress and modern agricultural techniques in order to increase agricultural production.

17 December, 2005

The GRC and Freie Universaitat Berlin (FU Berlin) entered into an agreement to cooperate, collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, knowledge dissemination, the internationalization of higher education in the fields of international relations and global politics, networking, internships and events.

Zayed University and the Gulf Research Center (GRC) signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate in the areas of research and knowledge dissemination about the Gulf region. The agreement provides for full access to the GRC's research and media websites for ZU faculty and students, internships for ZU students at the GRC, developing, supporting and enhancing research projects on Gulf issues, and facilitating information exchange amongst scholars and the wider community by convening joint conferences, seminars, workshops and lectures as well as through the sharing of relevant data and databases.

Zayed University was established in 1998 by the UAE federal government to educate Emirati women. It has campuses in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and offers similar programs on both campuses to approximately 2500 full-time students. ZU is based on an international model of higher education and is organized academically into five colleges Arts and Sciences, Business Sciences, Communication and Media Sciences, Education and Information Systems.  The primary language of instruction is English.

The Rome-based Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) and the GRC signed an agreement to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Gulf region, Middle East and Europe. The organizations agreed to collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.

The IAI is a non-profit organization funded by individual and corporate members, public and private organizations, major international foundations, and by a standing grant from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its main objective is to promote an understanding of the problems of international politics through studies, research, meetings and publications, with the aim of increasing the opportunities of all countries to move in the direction of supranational organization, democratic freedom and social justice.

12 November, 2006

The GRC and the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), an independent, policy-oriented, non-profit research and training institute in Athens, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Gulf region, the Middle East and Greece. The two organizations agreed to collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation.

The ELIAMEP pursues research pertaining to the European, foreign and security policies of Southeast Europe, Mediterranean and wider Europe, and issues related to international politics, security and economics, in order to contribute to and influence public debate.

The GRC signed memoranda of understanding with Chinese, South Korean, American and three European institutions between July and September to further the scope of research programs pertaining to relations between the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the rest of the world.

Separate agreements were signed with the Shanghai-based Institute of Geopolitics and Economics of Energy (IGEE), Seoul-based Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP), Washington-based The Henry L. Stimson Center, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the Institute of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (IMEIS) at the University of Durham in Britain and the Netherlands Institute of International Relations 'Clingendael'.

The institutions have agreed to work together in pursuit of creating greater national, regional and international awareness on issues pertaining to security and stability in the Arabian Gulf region, the greater Middle East and beyond.

According to the GRC Chairman, Abdulaziz Sager, "the agreements aim to collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, policy facilitation and implementation of long-term conditions for peace, security and sustainable development."

The cooperation also aims to build the capacity of institutions and peoples in the region to assist in the planning, coordination and implementation of national, regional and international initiatives aimed at improving mutual understanding, resolving outstanding issues of conflict and promoting regional and trans-regional cooperation for stability and security, Sager said.

The areas of cooperation encompass joint research; dissemination of findings; convening conferences; facilitating exchange of scholars; translation, re-publication and distribution of selected publications; and sharing of relevant databases.

IGEE is an applied research body affiliated to the School of Advanced International and Area Studies at East China Normal University in Shanghai. The institute is the first of its kind in China to promote geopolitical and economic researchers and exchanges on strategic energy issues worldwide.



KIEP is a South Korean government-funded economic research institute. It is a leading institute on the international economy and its relationship with Korea. KIEP advises the government on all major international economic policy issues, and also serves as a warehouse of information on Korea's international economic policies. It also carries out research for foreign institutes and governments on all areas of the Korean and international economies.



The Stimson Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan institution devoted to enhancing international peace and security through a unique combination of rigorous analysis and outreach. Its vision is of "a world in which instruments of security cooperation and peace overtake historic tendencies toward conflict and war."



SIPRI is a research institute dedicated to conducting research relating to conflict and cooperation of importance for international peace and security, with the aim of contributing to an understanding of the conditions for peaceful solutions of international conflicts and for a stable peace.



The IMEIS, within the School of Government and International Affairs, is at the forefront of Middle Eastern studies, teaching and research in Britain. It is the only Economic and Social Research Council-recognized Middle East and Islamic studies department in Britain.



The Hague-based Clingendael Institute promotes the understanding of international affairs with special focus on European integration, transatlantic relations, international security, conflict studies, policy making on national and international energy markets, negotiations and diplomacy, as well as the United Nations and other international organizations.

The GRC and American University of Sharjah (AUS) signed a MoU to cooperate, collaborate and support each other in the areas of research, knowledge dissemination, networking, internships and related events. The motive of the agreement is to enhance knowledge about the Gulf region by disseminating information openly and as widely as possible. As a first step towards pursuing this aim, the GRC will supply all AUS students and faculty members with free access to its research website (www.grc.ae) and its media website (www.gulfinthemedia.com) until May 2006.

The two institutions have also agreed to cooperate effectively to enhance on-the-job experience by sponsoring internships for AUS students at GRC in various subject areas relevant to the region and specialized by the center; collaborate in research activities; publish selected joint publications in both electronic and hard copy forms; facilitate information exchange among scholars, researchers, faculty and students by convening joint conferences, seminars, workshops and lectures, as well as share relevant data and databases; encourage networking of scholars and regional experts; improve technical capabilities by exchanging relevant information and transferring knowledge, including best practice information; and promoting capacity building through the conduct of joint training programs.

GRC and New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation (ORF) signed a memorandum of understanding to undertake joint studies and research projects pertaining to GCC-India relations, with the areas of cooperation due to be identified with mutual concurrence.

ORF is a non-profit and public policy think-tank visualized and supported by a cross-section of India's leading intellectuals, academics, public figures, social activists, business leaders and institutions of higher learning.

The Gulf Research Center and New Delhi-based The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri) signed a wide-ranging co-operation agreement to focus on the natural resources of the region, as well as the state of the environment, both critical to the future of the Gulf and world. Called "Green Gulf" project, the collaboration is an attempt to join hands in solving some of the unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, especially those associated with managing the Gulf's resources - including land, air and water - in an efficient manner. The project aims to start by targeting and molding children and would seek the involvement of energy-related companies and institutions in the region to achieve its goal.

GRC signed an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme, which grants the center the world-wide distribution rights for the Arabic hardcopy and digital versions as well as the English digital version of the Arab Human Development Report 2004 - "Towards Freedom in the Arab World".

The understanding also allows GRC to promote, sell and distribute the digital English versions of the 2002 and 2003 reports. While the Arabic digital copy version is available free of charge through the center's website (www.grc.ae) as a downloadable file, the English digital copy will be available for a nominal cost of $10 per download. The Arabic hardcopy version will be made available both through the Center and its distribution channels comprising a wide retail network.

A major point of emphasis for GRC is to make key contributions in the field of international relations, strategic studies, and in the economic and social field available in the Arabic language. The aim of this translation effort is to familiarize the wider Arab audience with current research and policy debates occurring outside of the region but whose scope and focus is related to events in the Gulf.

To this end, GRC has signed an agreement with the Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) in July to exclusively translate their publications into Arabic under the GRC banner. This agreement supplements already existing agreements with such renowned institutes as the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington .

Outside of official agreements, GRC selects individual publications such as published books, research papers and articles that it feels represent an important contribution to the field and that Arab readers should have access to. Moreover, the scope of GRC's translation efforts is not limited solely to the English language, but includes publications in German, French and other languages as well.