This policy dialogue aimed at contrasting the debates and priorities in the Arab region and those in the EU. It also specifically looked into three areas: (1) inclusivity, particularly taking into account the long-lasting effects of the pandemic; (2) smart cities and digital infrastructure development and (3) artificial intelligence.

This event took place in the framework of the El-Hiwar II project which aims to strengthen dialogue, cooperation, and collaboration between key regional actors in Euro-Arab relations. It consisted of a series of online roundtable discussions amongst a group of officials from the EU and League of Arab States and its specialised institutions, researchers, business communities, civil society organisations, as well as partnering regional and international institutions.