HRH Premier to patronise Arab Forum on Sustainable Development

Manama, Apr. 5. (BNA) -- Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Bahrain will host from May 5 to 7 the high-level Arab Forum on Sustainable Development, organised by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and the United Nations Environment Programme, in cooperation with the League of Arab States. About 200 Arab ministers, senior government officials involved in sustainable development, representatives of organisations and agencies of the United Nations and the Arab Development banks, the League of Arab State and concerned civil society organisations will attend the forum. This was announced during a press conference, held this morning by Minister of Social Development Faeqa bint Said Al Saleh, United Nations Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme in the Kingdom of Bahrain Peter Grohman and the United Nations Regional Director and Representative of Environment Programme in West Asia programme Dr. Iyad Abumoghli. Minister of Social Development had confirmed that the selection of the Kingdom of Bahrain to host this important forum wasn’t a surprise, but rather due to the honourable history of international achievements on sustainable development level, most notably the granting of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Millennium Development Goals Award by the United Nations in 2010. "This award was in recognition of his contributions in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, as HRH pays great interest in this area, she said. In 2007, HRH Premier decided to launch the "Khalifa bin Salman Award for Human Settlements". It was aimed at enabling the United Nations Human Settlements Programme to implement its sustainable and urban development agenda, especially in developing countries. The award was meant to reflect the constructive role played by the Kingdom of Bahrain in support of the United Nations urban development efforts around the world, the minister added. She said the Forum is one of the most important five forums organised by the United Nations’ regional commissions in confirmation of the importance of the regional dimension of sustainable development and developing regional perspectives on sustainable development policies, Al Saleh said. "The Forum is of particular importance being synchronized with the international negotiations on the global Post-2015 development agenda, which began last January and continues until next September. Speaking about the objectives of the Forum, Al Saleh noted that it aims to set up Arab participation in the third session of the High-Level Political Forum to be held in New York from July 26 to August 8, 2015 under the title "Strengthening integration, implementation and assessment of the post-2015 ". It also aims at preparing Arab contribution in the negotiations to take place at the International Conference on Financing for Development expected to be held in Addis Ababa from 13 to 16 July, 2015, as well as the annual ministerial review to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), said Al Saleh. She emphasized that the forum comes in line with the Arab and consultations on shifting from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which began by a meeting organised by ESCWA in Tunisia in 2013, the first forum session, which was held in Amman in April 2014 and the consultative meeting of the Arab on the implementation of the post – 2015 Development Agenda. The minister pointed out that the Forum is an important occasion to crystallize the Arab consultative position on the issues that are still on the post – 2015 Development Agenda. "The forum is also aimed at further strengthened coordination of the Arab contribution in various international negotiating tracks, and the key messages of the forum will reflect the Arab key position and regional reports that will be submitted to various international functions and in particular the High – Level Political Forum and The third International Conference on Financing for Development to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 13 to 16 July 2015. The Manama Statement to be issued at the conclusion will be a key material for a number of regional tracks, including the Ministerial Committee of the ESCWA and Arab ministerial councils to discuss them and take appropriate decisions at the highest level. Peter Grohmann, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, expressed his gratitude to the Government of Bahrain for hosting the Arab High Level Forum on Sustainable Development which will bring together decision makers from across the Arab world for the regional dialogue on the global Post-2015 development agenda. The Forum is organized in partnership between the United Nations, the League of Arab States and the Government of Bahrain. Mr. Grohmann also expressed the United Nation’s greatest appreciation to HRH the Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, for offering his patronage for this major international event. He said that similar to HRH Premier’s strong commitment to the Millennium Development Goals, which was recognized by the UN MDGs Award in 2010, the patronage of the Arab High Level Forum on Sustainable Development underlines the support of HRH and the Government of Bahrain for attaining the future sustainable development goals not only in Bahrain, but at the international level. "Currently, Governments and stakeholders from across the world are engaged in a process to negotiate a new global Post-2015 Development Agenda that will succeed the Millennium Development Goals. Like the Millennium Development Goals, he noted, the Post-2015 agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals are expected to be one of the most effective tools in driving political attention, resources and energy towards promoting development that is equitable and sustainable, Grohmann said. He noted that the Sustainable Development Goals will be finalised and adopted during the United Nations Summit in New York in September 2015, with the participation of Heads of Government from the UN Member States. He also stressed that the Arab High Level Forum on Sustainable Development is the final regional event that will enhance the position of the Arab States towards finalizing the Post-2015 agenda. He went to say that the Arab High Level Forum on Sustainable Development will convene Ministers of Planning and Economy, Social Development, and the Environment from the Arab region to actively discuss regional implications of the Post-2015 Development Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. "We expect high level participation from 22 Arab states as well as high representation from the League of the Arab states. From the United Nation’s side, we expect the participation of Ms. Rima Khalaf, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA); Ms. Sima Bahous, Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States and Chair of the Regional UN Development Group; and Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme. ", added the UN official. The Government of Bahrain’s generosity to host this Forum, he noted, is demonstrative of Bahrain’s commitment to sustainable development. " Bahrain is a country that has wholeheartedly embraced the MDGs and has made significant progress in achieving, and in some cases surpassing, most of the global development targets. In preparation for the future Post-2015 international development agenda, not only the Government of Bahrain, but also the people of Bahrain have actively participated in the global discussion on the Sustainable Development Goals, Peter Grohmann noted. He said that over the past year, more than 5,000 Bahraini citizens have expressed their views on future development priorities through the My World survey. " Building on the MY World Survey, in October 2014, the UN Country Team, in partnership with the Government, organized a workshop to promote a national dialogue on the Post-2015 agenda and its integration in national development planning and implementation. As a result, we are very happy to note that the future international agenda on sustainable development has been taken into account in the elaboration of the Government Programme 2015-18 which was recently approved by the Parliament, he said. He reiterated that the Post-2015 agenda is a global framework that it will be implemented at the national level to benefit the people of Bahrain and to contribute to the international efforts to secure the sustainable future of our planet. " I would therefore like to express our expectation that the upcoming High Level Forum will further promote the local discussion on human and sustainable development. The United Nations stands ready to continue supporting the dialogue and understanding of the Post-2015 agenda and, most importantly, its implementation in Bahrain, he affirmed. From his part, Dr. Iyad Abumoghli, Regional Director and Representative of the United Nations Environment Programme in West Asia, expressed sincere thanks and appreciation to His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister for his patronage of the Arab high-level forum on sustainable development. He said the forum focuses on discussing issues that are of absolute importance in determining the future paths of economic, social, financial and environmental development in an integrated framework through which the peoples of the region seek to achieve sustainable development, welfare and progress. The 2nd session of the Arab Forum is characterized of particular importance as it coincides with the UN negotiations on the Post - 2015 Development Agenda that include a new package of development goals, to be announced at the UN summit to be held in September in New York . The decisions and the agreed outcome to be announced by the Arab ministers will determine the Arab regional dimension of sustainable development, as well as the Arab vision on sustainable development policies, in order to integrate it into the global plan for sustainability. They will also contribute to the process of finding solutions to address the situation of the Arab countries and all other groups , taking into account of sustainability in all activities, and economic, environmental and social dimensions. On the other hand, the Forum is an occasion to introduce the first draft Arab sustainable development report and the most important findings and recommendations to be discussed by various stakeholders, experts and representatives of civil society and the private sector societies. The Forum also discusses a number of points that reflect different views on the position of the Arab region towards sustainable development objectives through analysis of current situation and trends of sustainable development in the Arab region. It will also tackle ways to further raised knowledge about financing sustainable development and development of a comprehensive regional approach to mobilize financial resources through studying innovative sources of finance at the regional and international levels. Among other issues to be discussed are the launch of future steps to monitor and evaluate sustainable development goals of and the institutional frameworks appropriate for the planning and implementation of these goals; reporting on the regional level; the scientific elements of sustainable development policies; building national capacity to measure achieved progress of sustainable development goals. The forum will also discuss the first Arab report on sustainable development and the know- how of regional reports on sustainable development in the future.