Qatar And UAE Embark On U.S.-Led Pax Silica Initiative To Reinforce Global Supply Chains

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

January 13, 2026

New Strategic Alliance For Silicon Statecraft

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are set to join a U.S.-driven effort to secure critical technology supply chains, particularly in the areas of artificial intelligence and semiconductors. Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg outlined the initiative’s swift expansion in a recent interview with Reuters.

Bridging Historical Divides With Technology

The inclusion of these Gulf nations is significant given the region’s complex political landscape, underscoring a broader strategy by U.S. policymakers to align Middle Eastern states with key allies such as Israel. This integrated approach aims to leverage the diverse industrial capabilities of each member country in a unified economic security front.

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Pax Silica: Beyond Diplomatic Declarations

Officially dubbed Pax Silica, the program is designed to protect the entire technology supply chain—from critical minerals to advanced manufacturing, computing infrastructure, and data management. As a cornerstone of a long-term economic statecraft agenda that originally took root under the Trump administration, the initiative strives to reduce reliance on rival global powers while bolstering technological collaboration among allied partners.

Operational Blueprint For Economic Security

“The Silicon Declaration isn’t just a diplomatic communiqué,” Helberg noted. “It’s meant to be an operational document for a new economic security consensus.” The initiative includes some of the world’s leading industrial economies, including Israel, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Britain, and Australia. Qatar is scheduled to sign the declaration on January 12, with the UAE following on January 15.

A Shift From Energy To Silicon

Helberg emphasized that the program represents a fundamental transformation in regional economic policy. For the UAE and Qatar, the move marks a decisive shift from a dependency on hydrocarbons to an emphasis on technology and innovation, symbolizing a broader diversification away from energy-centric security frameworks.

Future Projects And Global Integration

The Pax Silica group, which convened recently in Washington, is actively working on projects aimed at modernizing trade and logistics routes. One notable example is the proposed India-Middle East-Europe Corridor, which intends to employ advanced U.S. technologies to enhance regional connectivity and expand American economic influence. The framework also includes plans to establish the “Fort Foundry One” industrial park in Israel, as well as upcoming discussions on AI cooperation slated for further exploration on January 16.

Strengthening Global Alliances In A Complex Era

These initiatives come at a time when global supply chains are increasingly seen as strategic assets. As the Pax Silica group seeks to broaden its membership and launch key strategic projects this year, its coordinated efforts to secure critical infrastructure and technology may pave the way for enhanced global economic security. The timing also complements the upcoming Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, organized by Saudi Arabia, which will gather top officials, industry leaders, and investors to deliberate on future mineral and supply chain strategies.

The coalition’s vision reflects a broader shift in international security paradigms, one that is less about traditional alliances and more about leveraging collective industrial strengths and technological innovations to create a securely integrated economic future.

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Women Make Up A Majority Of The EU’s Science And Technology Workforce But The Real Gap Is Elsewhere

by News Editor

June 25, 2026

Women now make up the majority of the EU’s science and technology workforce. According to Eurostat, in 2025, more than 81.6 million people aged 15 to 74 were employed in science and technology occupations across the EU. Of those, 52.5% were women, equal to 42.8 million women. The number of women in these occupations rose by 27.9% compared with 2015, an increase of more than 9.3 million over a decade.

On the surface, the numbers resemble progress. However, Eurostat’s category requires context before that figure can be read accurately. The data refers to HRST, or Human Resources in Science and Technology, specifically people employed in science and technology occupations. These are roles where the main tasks require professional or technical knowledge in physical and life sciences, but also in social sciences and humanities. That definition is wider and broader than engineering, ICT, laboratory science, or high-tech research alone.

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Zooming In

The gender picture changes once the data moves from a wider definition of the workforce to the narrower scientist-and-engineer (research and manufacturing) subgroup.

Scientists and engineers represented almost a quarter of all people employed in science and technology in the EU in 2025. Eurostat describes scientists and engineers as often being the innovators at the centre of technology-led development, making them an important subgroup to focus on separately.

Women accounted for only 40.8% of scientists and engineers in 2025, despite making up more than half of the wider category. That share has increased by a mere 0.5 percentage points over the past decade. The absolute number of women working as scientists and engineers rose from 5.3 million in 2015 to 8.2 million in 2025, despite the push from national and international organisations to increase the number of women in the field. Europe has expanded the number of women in science and technology occupations over ten years. However, that expansion has not extended equally into the scientist-and-engineer subgroup, where much of Europe’s research and innovation work is conducted.

In 2025, of the 39.4 million women aged 25 to 64 working in science and technology occupations in the EU, 35.5 million worked in service activities. Only 2.7 million worked in manufacturing. Women accounted for 57.5% of science and technology employment in services, but only 31.3% in manufacturing.

In 2025, the highest shares of women employed in science and technology occupations were recorded in Latvia at 62.4%, followed by Hungary’s Great Plain and North region at 61.1%, Estonia at 60.5%, Poland’s Central macroregion at 60.4%, and Lithuania at 60.3%. No EU country recorded a majority of women among science and technology workers in manufacturing.

Break-down

Eurostat’s figures measure employment in broad science and technology occupations. They do not show job security, pay levels, management roles, promotion rates, research leadership, or whether women are concentrated in junior or senior workplace positions.

The classification of “senior” also requires additional explanation. Eurostat reports that 45.9% of science and technology workers aged 25 to 64 in the EU were classified as “senior” HRST in 2025. In this dataset, “senior” refers to workers aged 45 to 64. It does not mean senior manager, senior researcher, team lead, or decision-maker.

A high female share in the wider Human Resource Science and Technology (HRST) category does not parallel equal representation across scientists, engineers, manufacturing roles, senior posts, pay, research funding, or decision-making. These figures also reflect the occupational mix inside each country or region, not only structural progress across all areas of science and technology.

The Case Of Cyprus

Eurostat data places Cyprus’s overall science and technology employment at 37.2% of the labour force in 2025, slightly above the EU-27 figure of 36.9%, and above Greece at 26.8%, Malta at 33.9%, and Turkey at 18.2%. This figure covers the total share of the labour force employed in science and technology across all genders.

Progress Or Work-in-Progress?

52.5% in the broad category. 40.8% among scientists and engineers. 31.3% in manufacturing. Europe’s gender gap in science and technology hasn’t closed yet, and there is still work to be done to encourage and support more women to enter the field, especially in research and manufacturing.

Let’s not wait another decade for another couple of percentage points of hope.

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