Kelsey Goodman, head of Middle East and North Africa at the World Economic Forum (WEF), told The National that the region’s economic fundamentals remained solid despite geopolitical uncertainty.
Her comments come as the International Monetary Fund sharply downgraded its 2026 growth forecasts for Gulf economies amid the effects of the war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Sheikh Hamdan meets World Economic Forum president to strengthen UAE partnership “There’s still widespread investor confidence in the region,” Ms Goodman said. “The fundamentals are solid even if the surrounding area is uncertain, but it calls for the need for dialogue and co-operation and hopefully a return to peace and resiliency in the region.” Speaking at the Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders in Dubai, which concluded on Thursday, Ms Goodman said efforts to diversify Gulf economies had helped them withstand recent shocks and would be crucial to their recovery.
“Diversification really is key, and the companies and the economies that have been able to have already built in diversity into their plan are the ones that have been most resilient," she said.
"Resiliency is something that you have to prepare for. It's not something that you can build only in times of crisis.” Foresight simulations were carried out at the meeting on Thursday, in which participants rehearsed responses to unfolding geopolitical and technological crises.