The event brought together political decision makers and experts from Germany and the region to debate the following questions:

• How does Germany plan to link the just transition concept with its new cooperation priorities, such as green energy and feminist development policy, in the MENA region?
• How have the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed the context for German cooperation with MENA countries?
• How will energy and food crises affect Germany’s strategic priorities?
• What changes to current cooperation approaches are needed to ensure that economic, trade and climate partnerships are socially and environmentally sustainable?
• What kind of alliances should Germany build to support socially just transition on the regional, national and local levels?

Following the welcome from Elisabeth Braune, Head of Department for Middle East and North Africa, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and Markus Loewe, Head of MENA Research (IDOS), we were honoured to have the following distinguished panellists:

• Niels Annen (Parliamentary State Secretary, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ)
• Anna-Katharina Hornidge (Director, German Institute of Development and Sustainability, IDOS)
• Lea Bou Khater (Social Protection Technical Officer, Regional Office of the Arab States in Beirut, International Labour Organisation, ILO)
• Hamza Hamouchene (North Africa Programme Coordinator, Transnational Institute)
• Rabab El Mahdi (Associate professor of Political Science, American University in Cairo, AUC)

The Panel was moderated by Thomas Claes, director of the FES-Project “Economic Policies for Social Justice in MENA”.