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Investing in people

To create sustainable development

The Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND) was established in 1980 upon the initiative of His Royal Highness Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may Allah have mercy on him, with the support of the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States. Through its strategy, AGFUND addresses the root causes of human development challenges, targeting all segments of society without discrimination.

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  • People First
  • Partnership & Integration
  • Sustainability & Impact
What we do

Focus Areas

AGFUND believes in the sustainability of human development and poverty alleviation, working to enable vulnerable groups — women, children, people with special needs, displaced people and refugees — to exercise their rights and lead a dignified life. Our efforts concentrate in five areas.

Early Childhood Development

Early Childhood Development

The Arab Council for Childhood and Development was founded in 1987 in a strategic partnership with UNESCO, advancing childhood and development issues across the Arab world.

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Programmes and projects across the Arab region
+130
International, regional and national partnerships
+150
Studies, research publications and training manuals
+200
Events and conferences supporting childhood
+400
Women’s Empowerment

Women’s Empowerment

The Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR) was established in 1993 as a non-profit regional institution dedicated to promoting Arab women’s empowerment, capacity building, and scientific research.

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Women benefiting from training programmes
+60K
Projects implemented
140
Training manuals and e-learning modules
80
Training activities incl. seminars & workshops
1.23K
Civil Society Development

Civil Society Development

The initiative was launched in 1989, followed by the formal establishment of the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) in Beirut in 2002 during a conference chaired by HRH Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, under the patronage of President Rafik Hariri — may Allah have mercy on them both.

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Launch of the Arab Forum for Land and Climate and the Arab Climate Adaptation Lab.

Establishment of the largest Arab library featuring 56 specialized publications on civil society and development.

Open Education — Arab Open University

Open Education

The Arab Open University was established in 2002 as a non-profit educational institution at the initiative of Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud — may Allah have mercy on him — in partnership with The Open University in the United Kingdom, to provide flexible, high-quality higher education for all across the Arab world.

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Students since establishment
405K
Graduates since establishment
88K
Number of branches
20
Employees across 9 countries
1124
Female students
%59
Nationalities
152
Financial Inclusion — value exceeded 1.4 billion dollars

Financial Inclusion

In 2006, AGFUND’s efforts led to the establishment of the first bank for the poor in the Arab world in Jordan under the name National Microfinance Bank. This was followed by the establishment of AGFUND Financial Inclusion Banks across several countries.

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Beneficiaries
+7M
Employees
+1400
Loans
+1.5M
Women Borrowers
%60
Branches across 9 countries
112

Success Stories

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Jamal Al-Jamal a farmer

  From the fertile farms and greenhouses of Yemen, Jamal Al-Jamal, a farmer and one of the beneficiaries of Al-Amal Microfinance Bank, one of AGFUND’s f

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Nazmeiyeh Al Sha’ar

Nazmeiyeh Al Sha’ar, a beneficiary of the National Microfinance Bank in Jordan, one of AGFUND’s financial inclusion banks, succeeds in increasing her agricultural p

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Project Funding Portal

Have a project that creates real impact?

Apply for AGFUND funding and join 1,700+ development projects funded across the world. Submit your organization profile and project details through our online portal.

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Our reach

Projects Funding

AGFUND supports sustainable human development by identifying successful experiences, networking and coordinating between partners, and providing grants to development projects implemented by partners for the benefit of target groups.

1,713
Total number
689
Africa
980
Asia
22
Europe
16
South America
5
North America

News

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