The Derasat Board of Trustees met for their quarterly meeting to discuss the center’s activities and plans and were joined by Mr. Katadah Zaman, Executive Director.
The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) visited Derasat last week to discuss the latest geo-political and economic developments in the Middle East and Arabian Gulf regions; both sides are looking forward to future visits, and to substantive cooperation in the area of Middle Eastern strategic affairs.
A Roundtable discussion was held on Middle East issues with a Derasat delegation and the Middle East Institute (MEI) in Singapore and meetings held with the MEI Chairman, Mr. Bilahari Kausikan and Acting Director, Michelle Teo.
Talks have been held between Derasat and Mr Choi Shing Kwok, Director of the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), to find out more about each other’s institutions and to consider future areas of mutual interest.
Derasat Chairman met with ISAS Chairman, Ambassador-at-Large, Gopinath Pillai and Professor C Raja Mohan, Director of ISAS at the National University of Singapore, during which several joint initiatives and areas of collaboration were explored.
A delegation from Derasat met with the Singapore Institute for International Affairs (SIIA) led by the Chairman, Associate Professor Mr. Simon Tay, to share information on activities and discuss areas of mutual interest.
Meetings have been held with the Chairman of Derasat, Dr. Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and the Executive Deputy Chairman of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Ambassador Ong Keng Yong who briefed Derasat on their research activities and mutual areas of cooperation were discussed.
In the last five years especially, the government of Saudi Arabia has taken substantive steps to get women into the workforce. Dr. Omar Al Ubaydli notes that ‘the variety and depth of the reforms is remarkable, and indicates a methodical approach to reversing one of the lowest rates in the world’ ……..