Meeting on ‘State of Arab Cities 2020 Report’ held

Within the framework of the joint initiative to develop the State of Arab Cities 2020 report, in co-operation with Bahrain Centre for Strategic and International Studies and Energy (DERASAT), United Nations Human Settlements Programme Regional Office for Arab States (UN-Habitat ROAS), and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bahrain, held a regional consultation workshop here.

The workshop aimed to discuss and validate the first draft of the report, identify the most persistent challenges facing Arab cities with regards to financing urban infrastructure, and propose policy recommendations and effective responses to address these challenges. The workshop was attended by a variety of experts and decision makers in urban development from several Arab countries, in addition to representatives of Arab regional organisations and United Nations organisations.

The discussion focused on the key ideas put forward in the report on increasing the economic role of cities and the need for policies that catalyse their financial resources and diversify their economic activities to achieve balanced urban development. Katadah Zaman, Executive Director of ‘Derasat’, stated that “the Kingdom of Bahrain’s support to this initiative is based on the country’s progress achieved in the areas of urban development and improving the quality of life for residents, as well as the national efforts to achieve the SDGs”.