Sustainable economic development, socio-economic growth and high quality-of-life standards are increasingly considered key ingredients for any country to build peace, security and resilience. For countries in the Arab Gulf, this translates into the necessity to diversify away from an unsustainable dependance on energy revenues as well as build an economy that guarantees more opportunities and does not endanger the delicate environment in which their people live. Under these premises, the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (DERASAT), in partnership with the United Nations Development Program, has published in 2018 the first Bahrain Human Development Report, a comprehensive study on the present and future of sustainability that can serve as a benchmark for the region and beyond.

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On March 15, the Euro-Gulf Information Centre hosted Dr. Omar al-Ubaydli, the Program Director for International and Geo-Political Studies at DERASAT, to present the report's findings and share a potential roadmap towards improving key indicators of human development. An accomplished economist, Dr. al-Ubaydli is also an Associate Professor of Economics at George Mason University and previously a Visiting Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago.

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Dr. Al-Ubaydli was introduced by Professor Davor Džalto, Program Director for Peace Studies at the American University of Rome, who provided a framework of ideas on how to connect socio-economic and human development to the achievement of peace.

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The event took place between 11am and 1pm in EGIC's HQ in via Gregoriana 12 in Rome,  and was followed by a complimentary light lunch.