2nd MENA regional symposium on city development strategy (CDS)

Objectives of the symposium

- The rate of implementation achieved by the Arab cities development strategies, and if they are not implemented, what are the main reasons behind it?
- If there are cultural, political or economic reasons, preventing the implementation of the city development strategy in the Arab world, what are the modifications that can be made to the strategy to fit the current conditions of the Arab cities?
- May the creation of ties and relationships with donors and patterns of networking among Arab cities on one hand, and between them and provincial and central governments on the other hand, help advance the implementation of city development strategies?

Themes and the topics of the symposium

- Key-note speakers, who have worked in the areas of urban development in the Arab world and gained extensive experience in:

- Governance / management in urban areas;
- Local economy development;
- Improvement of urban and environmental planning;
- Slum improvement;
- Reviewing the Expertise and experiences of the Arab cities that have established their own development strategies, and what are the difficulties and obstacles encountered during the different stages of implementation? Has the strategy achieved its fundamental objectives in the following areas?;
- Participation of all segments of citizens in making the decisions affecting them;
- Institutionalization of city development strategy;
- Areas of focus and implementation rate;
- Impact on urban poverty alleviation;
- The overall economic, environmental, planning, administrative impact of the city development strategy;
- The necessary amendments that have been made to the terms of the original strategy to fit the conditions of the relevant city.