On the sidelines of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group’s 43rd Annual Meeting held in Tunisia this year, senior leaders from the Bank and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) met to reaffirm their partnership to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Arab region.

In meetings on Thursday, IsDB Group President Bandar Hajjar, IsDB Group Vice President for Partnerships Mohamed Jouini, and ESCWA Deputy Executive Secretary Khawla Mattar discussed priority actions to eradicate poverty in all its forms and dimensions in the region.

Mr. Hajjar reaffirmed the partnership between the two organizations in support of the people of the region. Mr. Jouini emphasized the need to be strategic in interventions related to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to build on joint successes. He also stressed the need to raise awareness among the public to ensure that reaching the 2030 Agenda is a multi-stakeholder process.

Meanwhile, Ms. Mattar also met with Walid Al-Wohaib, the Director General of the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development, with whom she discussed opportunities for cooperation in the areas of trade promotion, poverty eradication and youth employment.

“Partnership for sustainable development is a key pillar of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. The IsDB is a major development actor in the region, and we look forward to scaling up our coordination and cooperation on a range of economic, social and environmental development priorities”, said Ms. Mattar.

Finally, the IsDB annual meeting in Tunis was the occasion for ESCWA’s deputy chief to meet with Tunisian officials from the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Equipment, Housing and Land Development, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The exchange focused on emerging needs of Tunisia and ensuring no one is left behind as the country invests in development efforts.