Why tolerance is the Gulf countries' strongest asset

GCC member states' flags hang in Kuwait City's Mubarakiya Market. Coexistance is good for residents but it is also a competitive advantage valued by global businesses and investors. Reuters

There is a paradox that sits in the Gulf today. An economy once tied to a single commodity has found prosperity in diversity – not only of sectors, but of people and ideas. As a philosophy, the Gulf’s approach to diversity and tolerance is inspiring, but as an economic model, it is much more – a gift to the world at a time of turbulence.

Long before the rise of modern skylines, our coasts connected traders, scholars and travellers from across continents. That same openness still underpins our success today. It is the quiet force behind the Gulf’s evolution from oil economies into global investment and innovation hubs.

My home country of Oman is a clear example. For centuries it has stood at the crossroads of Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent – a meeting point whose identity has been shaped by dialogue and trade. That spirit runs through Oman’s Vision 2040, which places openness, education and partnership at the centre of economic diversification. Across the region, similar strategies are at work – in the UAE’s globally connected workforce, in Saudi Arabia’s reform-driven investment climate, and in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar’s new industries.

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In these countries, coexistence is systemic. That’s good for residents but it’s also a competitive advantage valued by global businesses and investors grappling with an increasingly polarised world. For example, the UAE has ranked first worldwide for greenfield foreign direct investment projects for four consecutive years. Saudi Arabia’s greenfield FDI inflows have multiplied since 2016. In short, capital goes where talent feels safe and welcome, and where politics are predictable and stable.

2019 was celebrated as the Year of Tolerance in the UAE. Victor Besa / The National

Yet beyond statistics, the Gulf’s progress is human at its core. The region’s ability to welcome global talent while nurturing local expertise has created a culture of collaboration rarely seen elsewhere. Young entrepreneurs, researchers and professionals from across the world are helping define what the next chapter of growth looks like.

But it’s not just capital that gravitates in the Gulf. The density of perspectives we encounter daily is why I believe ideas and innovation formulate so quickly here. This constant collision of outlooks produces what we can call a diversity dividend, a pattern shown in research published by McKinsey’s consultants, which found that companies with the most ethnically diverse leadership teams are 39 per cent more likely to outperform those with the least diversity. Our region’s multicultural workplaces effectively prove that principle every day.

There’s also a diplomatic dividend to consider. The Gulf continues to transform the concept of tolerance from a value into an experience, through public initiatives that bring together communities of different faiths, backgrounds and traditions. Qatar reinforces this spirit through its Years of Culture programme, which deepens understanding between nations through art, sports, education and heritage.

Openness is the quiet force behind the Gulf’s evolution from oil economies into global investment and innovation hubs

Perhaps the clearest indication that diversity is institutionalised is the fact that governments weave tolerance into national strategy, making coexistence both policy and principle. In Bahrain, for instance, the King Hamad Global Centre for Coexistence and Tolerance runs a Leadership in Coexistence programme that trains young peacemakers to perpetuate a legacy of coexistence.

Kuwait reinforces tolerance through its long-standing commitment to promoting interreligious dialogue and respect, reflected in national initiatives that encourage social harmony and coexistence among communities. Oman continues to express it through a long tradition of dialogue and diplomacy. The UAE’s National Tolerance Programme trains public officials to foster cultural understanding and social unity. The goal is a pluralist, cohesive society predicated on diversity and coexistence.

Taken together, all these national investments, commitments and initiatives show that the Gulf’s most valuable export is not oil, nor energy, nor architecture. It is tolerance. The region’s model for resilience, peace and prosperity is living proof that tolerance is sound economics, and that one of the most valuable resources a society can harness is the capacity to embrace diversity.

The International Day of Tolerance was celebrated on Sunday; it is worth remembering that prosperity built on understanding and inclusion is the most enduring kind. The Gulf’s future – and the world’s – depends on it.