On October 23, 2024, the Global Health Institute (GHI) at the American University of Beirut - in collaboration with our Institute, the Asfari Institute for Civil Society & Citizenship and with the support of IDRC and the Ford Foundation - launched the Cli-Health Program (CHP), focusing on addressing the critical intersection of climate change, health, and social justice, with an emphasis on supporting vulnerable communities in the MENA region. Speakers during the e-launch included: Shadi Saleh, GHI Founding Director; Saba Al Mubaslat, Ford Foundation Middle East and North Africa Director; Montasser Kamal, Director of Global Health IDRC Canada; Zainab Awad, Manager of the Cli-Health Program; Nour El Arnaout, GHI Associate Director; Myrna Doumit, Professor at the AUB Hariri School of Nursing and health systems expert; Kenza Khomsi, climate, air quality, and environmental health expert; Lina Abou Habib, Director of the Asfari Institute; and Yara Mourad, IFI Assistant Director.

​In the immediate aftermath of the US elections, IFI held a webinar titled ”An Incoming President: A New US Middle East Policy Amidst Turmoil?” on November 8, 2024. The discussion reviewed the legacy of the Biden administration and what to expect from the upcoming Trump administration and its implications for the region. Speakers included: Randa Slim, Senior Fellow and Director, Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues program, Middle East Institute & Non-resident Fellow, SAIS Foreign Policy Institute; Tarek Masoud, Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Governance, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Steven A. Cook, ENI Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies, Council on Foreign Relations; moderated by IFI Director Joseph Bahout.