The COVID-19 pandemic has driven most of the world to shut borders, close businesses, and impose lockdowns on citizen movement to mitigate the spread of the novel virus. In the Middle East and North Africa, many countries shuttered businesses and banned public gatherings accompanied by strict curfews enforced by police or national militaries. Oil and Gas producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE injected billions into their economies to ease the economic fallout. However, resource-scarce countries already suffering from economic fragility also took measures to support small and medium-sized enterprises which make up the backbone of their private sectors. With the world heading into a deep recession, the economic future of the region is indeed dire. This will likely reignite political tensions that are temporarily subdued by the lockdown and will drive a renew wave of unrest across the region.

Dial-in numbers

U.S. Toll-free #: 1-800-369-2054

International Toll #: 1-312-470-7179

Participant passcode: 6238346

Due to the high volume of people using conference call systems during this time, please be patient as you try to connect to this call. If you hear a notice that the numbers do not work, please wait a few moments and simply try again. If you connect and are placed on hold while waiting for an operator, please do so. They are working to connect callers as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to continuing to engage with you!