Ten years of science diplomacy in the Middle East
In March 2025, Cefas concluded 10 years of programme delivery in the Middle East region co-funded by the FCDO’s Gulf Strategy Fund and partners across the region. Through the UK-Gulf Marine Environment Partnership Programme (2016 – 2022) and the UK-Gulf Climate, Health and Environment Resilience Programme (2022 – 2025), Cefas has been working with partner organisations in the region to address the challenges of marine environmental management, climate change and human health. This has been achieved by providing scientific evidence, tools and policy advice to strengthen regulation, building in-country management capacity and expanding the knowledge base for long-term sustainable management.
Read a new summary of our work: CHERP summary 2022-2025
The programme delivered a huge number and variety of scientific outputs, with some translated into
regional languages, including:
• 35 journal articles,
• 2 national ‘State of the Marine Environment’ reports,
• 2 national biodiversity monitoring plans,
• regional recommendations on climate change and invasive species, and antimicrobial resistance.
• 5 science education school resource packs, and
• a national aquatic animal health management plan.
A central focus has been science diplomacy and the application of these scientific outputs to influence policy and management decisions in the region. Cefas science has informed policy recommendations on invasive species management in the UAE; biodiversity monitoring in Bahrain; marine planning in Kuwait and regional climate change adaptation and mitigation through the Regional Organisation for the Protection of the Marine Environment. In addition, Cefas has contributed to the designation and submission for designation of new Marine Protected Areas across the region, supporting the Global Oceans Alliance and 30 by 30 target. The programme has also conducted capacity building that has led to the implementation of new working practices such as microplastic detection in Bahrain and Kuwait, biodiversity monitoring in Qatar, aquatic animal health diagnosis in Oman and seagrass
sample collection methods and fieldwork planning in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Related case studies and work:
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