Over recent years, donor countries along the Persian Gulf have made a growing but volatile contribution to official development assistance.
These donors have often been deeply controversial, due to their countries’ approaches to gender equality and human rights, but they have also been significant funders, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, or MENA, region.
In 2022, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait contributed a total of $9.2 billion in total ODA, according to preliminary data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.