Beirut, Lebanon, 09-11 April 2019
What: The Arab Forum on Sustainable Development 2019 (AFSD-2019) is organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in partnership with the League of Arab States (LAS). It will focus on the theme “Empowering People and Ensuring Inclusiveness and Equality in the Arab Region”.
When: Tuesday 9 to Thursday 11 April 2019 at 9:00hrs.
Where: ESCWA Headquarters, Riad el-Solh Square, Beirut, Lebanon
Who:
- Ms. Rola Dashti, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCWA;
- Mr. Nour Al Dolaimi, Iraqi Minister of Planning;
- Ms. Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General;
- Mr. Ahmad Abu al-Ghayt, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States;
- Statement of Mr. Saad Hariri, Lebanese President of the Council of Ministers.
Participants include high-level representatives at the ministerial level, as well as delegates from ministries; bodies concerned with planning and following up on the 2030 Agenda; parliamentarians; regional and international institutions; civil society organizations; the private sector; academic and research centres, and the media, among others.
Why: The AFSD is the primary regional mechanism for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Arab region and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Its findings and recommendations, conveying key messages from the Arab region and its countries, are submitted to the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF).
AFSD-2019 features a variety of plenaries, special sessions and workshop-style special events revolving around three components:
- Global and regional progress including reviews of specific goals;
- Thematic focus: Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality in the Arab region;
- National, regional and global processes including Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) and messages to the global summit.
The year 2019 marks the end of the first four-year cycle of follow-up and review, whereby the global review of all SDGs will be completed.
In addition to the HLPF, which will take place in July, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), an SDG Summit will be held under the auspices of the UN General Assembly in September 2019 in New York.
The ESCWA Communication and Information Unit (ECIU) kindly asks media representatives wishing to cover this meeting to confirm their attendance at +96170008879.
For more information:
-Nabil Abu-Dargham, Head, ECIU, +961-70-993-144; email: dargham@un.org
-Ms Rania Harb, Public Information Assistant, +961-70-008-879; email: harb1@un.org
