During a symposium of the Arab League at the United Nations headquarters in New York

Aqeel reviews a working paper entitled Towards a true partnership for sustainable development

New York, July 13, 2018  

Within the framework of the symposium held by the Arab League on the sidelines of the high-level policy forum on sustainable development in New York, Ayman Aqeel, Chairman of Maat Foundation and Coordinator of the Group of Major African Organizations, participated in a working paper entitled “The policy of the isolated segment is no longer effective ... towards a true partnership for sustainable development.”

Ambassador Nada Al-Ajezi, Director of the Department of Sustainable Development and International Cooperation at the League of Arab States, inaugurated the League’s event entitled Effective Partnerships for the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals in the Arab Region ... Goal 17 Transition towards resilient and sustainable societies. ”In her opening speech, the ambassador stressed the great interest that the League is giving to achieving the 2030 Agenda in the Arab region, and revealed the decision to establish the Arab Committee to follow up the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, which is the committee formed from contact points in the Arab countries. They meet twice a year.

On the side of Ambassador Nadi Al-Ajezi, Professor Ayman Akil, Dr. Ihab Shalaby, a sustainability expert, participated in the opening session, who spoke about developing the concept of sustainable development and supporting the rational use of resources. .

Aqeel stressed in his speech the importance of the role that regional entities and organizations play in mobilizing and providing an organized and appropriate environment for civil society. And providing a framework to help it contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals, which provide a strategic vision for adopting a comprehensive and participatory approach that makes the world's future better than.

Aqeel said that “some countries’ reluctance to strive towards realizing the sustainable development goals may lead, in turn, to reduce their chances of obtaining the necessary financing for development, and may lead to placing them in the category of “not serious and not committed” to achieving the package of goals around which the largest process of consultation occurred. And negotiation and consensus witnessed by the United Nations since its inception.

The President of Maat Foundation and the Coordinator of the Group of Major African Organizations praised the Arab League’s initiative to “institutionalize” the role and participation of civil society organizations, which was evident in the creation of an administration concerned with “civil society” affairs since 2002, which is the administration that launched the Arab Decade for Civil Society Organizations 2016-2026, to support And the implementation of the sustainable development goals, but he stressed that there are a number of challenges that limit the ability of Arab civil society organizations to form networks and alliances to support the sustainable development goals, and pointed out that among the most prominent of these challenges is the rigidity and lack of suitability of many legal frameworks that govern the work of the organizations, the lack of mechanisms Arab financing, and the failure to direct sufficient financial support to civil society organizations, especially those working in the defense and human rights fields and interested in reforming public policies, as well as internal and internal factors also constitute a remarkable challenge as many organizations suffer from weak institutional structures and human resources, and the departure of governance and management systems in them from Management logic and good governance.

Aqeel called for these challenges to be the subject of constant discussion within the corridors of the Arab League to contribute to addressing what is related to the position of governments and legislative institutions towards civil society, and to push towards creating a favorable climate to enhance the role of civil society and enhance opportunities for partnership between its components.

Aqeel presented a number of recommendations to strengthen partnerships between Arab NGOs and each other, or between them and the mechanisms of the Arab League, and the most important recommendations were to prepare a detailed action plan to implement the Arab Decade for Civil Society Organizations 2016-2026, to activate the observer status and to enable civil society organizations to participate in a manner. More effective than it is, the Arab Committee for Human Rights has created mechanisms that allow the appointment of special rapporteurs or working groups specialized in specific topics, including the sustainable development goals, and the strengthening of cooperation between the Arab League and the group of major African organizations, and finally the launch of the Arab Network for Sustainable Development under the auspices and support of the League Arab countries .