This document was adopted by participants of the Second Session of the Arab High-Level Forum on Sustainable Development.
The Forum resulted in a number of important key messages, including the necessity of the development of early warning systems, the adoption of measures to manage risk and build resilience, and an integrated approach that achieves sustainability by avoiding exposure to new risks, minimizing current risks and working towards sustainable urban development in view of the increased frequency of natural hazards, desertification in particular, and the exacerbation of their impact.
Participants comprised high-level government representatives concerned with sustainable development, from the economic, social, environment, technology, and planning sectors; as well as representatives of United Nations agencies, Arab development banks, the League of Arab States and its specialized agencies, civil society organizations working on sustainable development issues, universities and research institutions, parliaments, and the private sector.
The Forum reviewed the Arab region’s achievements in implementing the Millennium Development Goals, and addressed the disparities in sustainable development progress, both between and within states. Challenges facing the Arab region were also highlighted, as was the importance of adopting a comprehensive and transformative approach to sustainable development to enable the region to implement the envisaged Sustainable Development Goals in accordance with its own priorities.
The Forum was held in Manama, from the 5th to the 7th of May 2015.
