The Regional Centre for Educational Planning (RCEP) was established in 2003 under an agreement between the UAE government and UNESCO, with its official inauguration in 2007. Initiated by the UAE as early as 2000, it's housed in a building donated by Sharjah's ruler within Sharjah University City. RCEP aims to boost education sector policy and planning capacity for GCC states and Yemen, focusing on training senior officials, facilitating info-sharing on educational management, disseminating relevant materials in English and Arabic, fostering regional/international collaboration, and supporting UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 on education.