https://arab.news/gvwqk
- 76 percent say DEI directly contributes to GDP growth and long-term resilience
DUBAI: Fast Company Middle East and regional advertising group Middle East Communications Network have released a new white paper highlighting the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion as a powerful driver of creativity, business performance and sustainable economic growth across the Middle East.
Titled “The Middle East’s Inclusive Economy,” the white paper draws on proprietary survey data, statistics and regional case studies to explore the impact of DEI across sectors such as finance, oil and gas, hospitality, healthcare and retail.
The survey, conducted in the first two quarters of this year, found that 85 percent of respondents believe that DEI has had a strong positive impact on industry and regional economic performance.
More than half (53 percent) reported increased participation from underrepresented groups in their workforce, and 76 percent observed higher retention rates when DEI is embedded into company strategy.
A further 76 percent also said that DEI directly contributes to gross domestic product growth and long-term resilience.
The paper highlights the concept of “inclusion as infrastructure,” and argues that inclusion and equity should be treated as foundational systems rather than short-term initiatives.
It notes that when DEI is deeply embedded into hiring, leadership and workplace culture, organizations outperform their peers in engagement, creativity and retention.
George Giessen, head of brands at MCN agency MullenLowe MENA, said that DEI is more than just a moral imperative.
Although a “fair and equitable society is important,” the research demonstrates DEI’s power to drive growth; “a lever one can pull to achieve organizational goals and accomplish economic visions of a nation,” he told Arab News.
“In short: DEI has a practical and measurable use in economies,” he added.
Still, there is a gap in the region. DEI is “still regularly treated as a reputational add-on rather than a driver of business value,” said Ghassan Harfouche, group CEO of MCN MENAT & president of McCann Worldgroup APAC.
The white paper is MCN’s response to this gap, aiming to serve as a “data-driven tool designed to help organizations reframe DEI as infrastructure for growth,” he added.
Governments across the region are increasingly adopting DEI into policy and regulatory frameworks. , for instance, has nearly doubled female labor force participation from 22.5 percent in 2006 to 43.2 percent in 2024.
Meanwhile, the UAE leads the Middle East and North Africa region in gender equality, according to the 2025 Global Gender Gap Index. It mandates 30 percent female representation in private sector leadership and has more than 23,000 Emirati businesswomen leading ventures valued at more than $13.6 billion.
The whitepaper is the first step in “a wider journey to better understand the bottom line impact of DEI” and provide the “framework to further evolve DEI in our businesses,” Giessen said.