New Post-Conflict Trends: A New Resilience Challenge

The war in Ukraine has had profound political and economic effects across the Middle East and North Africa. In Tunisia, which imported 56% of its wheat from Ukraine and Russia over the last five years, food prices rose 13 percent just in the month of March. Prices of key staples such as grain, meat, and dairy are up 34 percent over last year. Disruptions of oil and gas supplies, and the supplies of fertilizer needed by Tunisian farmers, are causing similar shocks to the already-vulnerable Tunisian economy, stagnant since the 2011 revolution and suffering the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

CIPE’s longtime Tunisian partner the Arab Institute for Business Leaders (known by its French acronym, IACE) is addressing these challenges head-on. A unique hybrid of think tank and business membership organization, IACE is a leading advocate for private-sector-led solutions to grow Tunisia’s economy and expand opportunity for Tunisians. The organization’s “New Post-Conflict Trends: A New Resilience Challenge” warns Tunisians of the threat the Ukraine war poses to the Tunisian economy, and makes recommendations for a proactive, integrated response by the private sector, government, and civil society. The report is available in Arabic, French, and English.