Forest and Farm Facility Partnership in Support of SDGs.
April 19, 2019
2.8 million workers’ deaths per year, reports UN.
April 22, 2019
The Arab Forum for Sustainable Development (AFSD) reviewed progress towards the five Sustainable Development Goals for consideration at the July 2019 session of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), in addition to goal 17, which is examined each time. year. AFSD-19 focused on the theme “Empowerment of People and Ensuring Inclusion and Equality in the Arab Region”.
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) organized the DAFS, which met from 9 to 11 April 2019 in Beirut, Lebanon. More than 300 participants attended the forum.
In an opening statement, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said the world “was not on track to achieve the ambitions we set for ourselves,” but stressed that the world was “determined to lead everyone in our journey towards 2030 and She said that the Arab region, like many others, was facing problems such as” insufficient growth, unemployment, inequalities, climate change and natural disasters “, as well as to challenges related to poverty, education and gender equality, Mohammed said the UN is working towards “more coherent, adaptable and accountable UN Country Teams” to support the implementation of the SDGs.
In her opening remarks, ESCWA Executive Secretary Rola Dashti announced the launch of ESCWA’s Young Initiative, which aims to serve as a breeding ground for innovative solutions to improve the lives of people in the Arab region. including youth. She added that ESCWA’s goal was to involve young people in internal reforms aimed at revitalizing ESCWA and increasing its effectiveness and efficiency.
AFSD-19 reviewed global and regional progress under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and reviewed progress made towards achieving the five goals examined in 2019: SDG 4 (quality education) , SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), SDG 10 (reducing inequalities). ), SDG 13 (climate action) and SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions).
In education, the AFDD has considered supporting and strengthening institutional capacities to promote environmental education and strengthen knowledge to support informed environmental decisions and create a conscious generation of environmental problems.
On climate change, participants discussed the effects of climate change, including the moderate vulnerability of the region, and the need to build resilience, reduce disaster risk, particularly for vulnerable communities, to develop climate change informed mitigation measures and to promote research on adaptation monitoring tools and measures. AFSD-19 has also supported the promotion of policy coherence for climate action, including by strengthening the links between climate change and water, energy and sustainable food systems, and by funding actions for climate change. including integrating climate activities into budget allocations.
Participants reflected on monitoring and review processes at national, regional and global levels, including Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs). Dashti said the Arab States’ NRVs show that most states have adopted long-term development plans and more inclusive approaches.
Countries shared lessons learned on NVR, including the importance of: establishing an institutional structure for sustainable development, linked to coordinating committees and thematic working groups to facilitate the development of sustainable development; FWD; and assign a ministry as a focal point to coordinate national efforts with other ministries and stakeholders.
Participants also discussed opportunities to engage different stakeholders, including early consultations on the scope and priorities of the NRV report, data collection, and the formulation, revision and approval of the report. report. In 2019, Algeria, Iraq, Kuwait, Mauritania, Oman and Tunisia will present NRVs from the Arab region.
Source: SDG Knowledge Hub.
