The UAE National Media Council, an independent body of the United Arab Emirates’ government that oversees, regulates and promotes that country’s media sector, has inked a pact with London-based Project Associates UK for global PR services.
The international communications consultancy was retained to raise awareness about state-sponsored terrorism in the Middle East and to create and promote counter-narratives that discourage young people from taking up Islamist extremist causes.
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The firm will also work to raise awareness of the Arab world’s positive contributions to regional dynamics and policy achievements and will also promote greater collaboration between the US and UAE on counter-terrorism efforts.
The UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and five other Gulf states, have been locked in a months-long diplomatic squabble with neighboring Qatar, home of Arab satellite TV channel al Jazeera. Those countries in June broke diplomatic ties with Qatar, imposing an economic and political boycott against the country in response to its alleged support and funding of Islamist terrorist groups.
Project Associates' two-month contract with the UAE media agency brings the firm $250,000.
The UAE has maintained a long-running communications pact with Washington-based government and corporate PR shop the Harbour Group. Other firms to perform lobbying work for the Persian Gulf nation in recent years include Kemp Goldberg Partners, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and DLA Piper.
Project Associates, which was founded in 1997, maintains an additional office in Brussels as well as teams in Paris, Berlin and Bern.
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