The economies of most Arab countries were less affected by the global financial crisis compared to other economies. Several factors contributed to the alleviation of the impact of the crisis on Arab countries, including the minimal dependency of non-oil producing economies, especially financial markets, on the global economy; and the flexibility acquired by major oil-producing countries from their cash reserves. This issue of the Annual Review examines the impact of the global financial crisis on the Arab economies.

The present study is one of the three baseline studies conducted as part of the Libyan Socioeconomic Dialogue Project, which was launched with a view to developing a vision for future social and economic development in Libya, outlining options available to stakeholders in the political process and facilitating a national dialogue on socioeconomic development and good governance, with a particular focus on key sustainable development priorities.

This report proposes a set of relevant, feasible and consistent climate change-related indicators for compilation by all countries in the region.

The report on “Rethinking Fiscal Policy in the Arab Region” asks whether or not current fiscal policies in the Arab region are up to the task of the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. It finds that the answer is mostly no—at least not yet. Many countries are lagging behind in connecting fiscal policy and development aims.