Find more information: https://afsd-2022.unescwa.org
The Arab Forum for Sustainable Development (AFSD) is the primary regional mechanism for the follow up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Arab region. This year, the Forum will be held from 15-17 March 2022 as the region grapples with and tries to recover from a pandemic that has severely affected the lives and livelihoods of people from all social and economic backgrounds.
AFSD’s outcome formally delivers the voice of the region to the global High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development held annually in New York. The report of the Arab Forum sets out key messages emanating from the regional dialogue on the opportunities and challenges of implementing the 2030 Agenda and reports progress on key sustainable development priorities. Last year's AFSD microsite can be found here: https://afsd-2021.unescwa.org/.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought forth additional challenges to an already faltering progress towards achieving the SDGs in the Arab region.
Regionally, based on a situation analysis of the SDGs in the Arab region, the Arab Sustainable Development Report 2020 (ASDR-2020) sounded the alarm that the region is not on track to achieving the SDGs. The report advised that transformative change across social, economic, political, cultural and environmental dimensions is necessary. The pandemic has further impeded already faltering progress towards achieving the SDGs in the Arab region. While some Arab countries have been hit harder by the pandemic than others, its impact will be felt in the region for years to come on the different dimensions of development. Therefore, the response needed should not only recognize the interlinkages between the economic, social and environmental dimensions but most of all, it should be aligned with the SDGs.