“The Arab World today is at a crossroads between promises and threats, promises of welfare and progress and threats of wars and terrorism… There are forces pulling the Arab region backwards, and in the meantime, there are forces pushing strongly towards change… They realise that development is a long-term project, and that sustaining development and maintaining it is harder than launching it.”
 
This is what Secretary-General of League of Arab States (LAS) Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in his opening statement during the 23rd meeting of the Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) held Monday 20 November 2017 at the United Nations House in Beirut.
 
United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCWA Mohamed Ali Al-Hakim said that the 23rd RCM meeting comes two years after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, at a time when Arab countries are facing complex and pressing domestic and transboundary regional challenges—such as peace and security, unemployment, environmental stability, youth, water and international migration. He urged for further coordination amongst the RCM members
 
Furthermore, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, Assistant Administrator of the UN Development Program (UNDP) and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States Mourad Wahba pointed out that the 23rd meeting is an important chance to discuss concrete and innovative ideas for how joint work can be done more effectively to deliver on Agenda 2030.
 
He added that the only way for us to be in position to contribute to the regions progress as we should, is to reform and work more effectively and efficiently together.
 
The RCM focuses on regional development priorities and calls for a common vision and approach among regional development partners. Members include all UN regional agencies, LAS, and representatives from regional and international funding institutions, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
 
 
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