In the context of enhancing joint cooperation in addressing the challenges of sustainable development, in particular those resulting from rapid urbanization and the resulting high rates of urban poverty in many countries, ESCWA, in cooperation with the Arab Towns Organization (ATO), organized a regional workshop on Pro-poor urban development strategies in the Arab region on 15 May 2013 in Doha, Qatar.

The workshop was one of four scientific workshops held in conjunction with the 16th session of the ATO General Conference which took place from 13 to 16 May 2013, under the main title “Cities and the Challenges of Sustainable Development”. The workshop comprised four thematic sessions, the first of which presented and discussed ESCWA report on “Bridging the Urban Divide in the ESCWA region: Towards inclusive cities”.  Under the theme “Pro-poor urban policies and strategies”, participants from UNESCO and UNCRD discussed the role of housing provision and the importance of lifelong education and learning for all.  A third session was dedicated to presenting and discussing the urban development index jointly developed by ESCWA and AUDI as a means to promote the development pro-poor urban strategies and policies. The last thematic session of the workshop included four presentations from cities of Hebron, Beirut, Morocco and Aden on their experiences in strengthening the role of municipalities and local authorities and formulating and implementing pro-poor policies.

Around 100 participants from 22 Arab countries attended the workshop, including ministers, mayors, and representatives of national and local governments, in addition to representatives of UN agencies, international and regional organizations and donor agencies, as well as scholars and experts on urban development issues.

Participants, who expressed great interest in the issues discussed in the ESCWA report on Bridging the Urban Divide, emphasized the need for ESCWA and ATO to further collaborate towards assisting national and local governments in the Arab Region in developing pro-poor urban policies and strategies and achieving socially inclusive cities.