Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, the United Nations Special Envoy for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, affirmed that progress in the Arab region is closely linked to achieving SDG 13, which calls for “urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts,” in connection with other Sustainable Development Goals. These include ensuring sustainable water management (Goal 6), promoting sustainable agriculture and food security (Goal 2), achieving sustainable energy access (Goal 7), maintaining healthy ecosystems (Goals 14 and 15), and fostering sustainable cities and human settlements (Goal 11).
This was stated during his speech at the 23rd Annual Conference of the Arab Administrative Development Organization, held at the League of Arab States in collaboration with the Ministry of Labor in the Sultanate of Oman. The conference, titled “Sustainability and Governmental Work: Governments’ Readiness for a Sustainable Future,” was attended by Dr. Nasser Al-Hatlan Al-Qahtani, Director General of the Arab Administrative Development Organization.
Dr. Mohieldin emphasized that public policies aimed at achieving SDG 13 must ensure interconnectedness between the environment and climate change sectors on one side, and other sectors like water, energy, and food on the other. He stressed the importance of integrated solutions that align priorities across all SDGs.
In his speech, Dr. Mohieldin pointed out that the Arab region is significantly impacted by the climate crisis and its repercussions. The region faces extreme vulnerability to rising temperatures, chronic water scarcity (with 90% of the Arab population—400 million people—living in water-stressed countries), recurring droughts, sandstorms, and other natural disasters. This situation is exacerbated by limited adaptive capacity in several Arab countries.
He highlighted the Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda, launched during COP27 in partnership with Egypt’s presidency of the conference and the climate champions, which outlines targets covering the key dimensions of adaptation efforts, including mobilizing finance for adaptation projects. Dr. Mohieldin urged policymakers in Arab countries to use this agenda as a guide in formulating their national adaptation plans and policies.
Dr. Mohieldin referred to the Arab Sustainable Development Report 2024, which noted that while the carbon footprint of Arab countries is low compared to other regions, the region’s emissions have grown at twice the global rate over recent decades. Renewable energy adoption and energy efficiency remain low in most Arab countries. According to the Arab Observatory for Sustainable Development Goals(ESCWA), renewable energy accounted for only 5.1% of total final energy consumption in the Arab region, far below the global average of 19.1%. Furthermore, ongoing conflicts in the region exacerbate challenges linked to climate change, destroying biodiversity, infrastructure, and ecosystems.
Dr. Mohieldin noted that the numerous shocks Arab countries have faced since the COVID-19 pandemic have severely hindered their progress toward achieving SDGs. These include the war between Russia and Ukraine, which disrupted global supply chains and threatened food security in the Arab region, and the devastating war in Gaza and its aftermath, which continues to negatively impact many Arab countries already grappling with chronic structural economic challenges and escalating debt crises.
He stressed the importance of public policy in addressing the negative impacts of climate change amidst multiple crises. Public institutions remain the primary entities capable of leading sustainable development plans and are responsible for forging effective partnerships with the private sector and civil society to combat the climate crisis. It is, therefore, crucial to review the direction of public climate policies in Arab countries to enhance best practices and address existing shortcomings.
Dr. Mohieldin highlighted significant regional frameworks for climate change and disaster risk reduction policies, which assist Arab countries in developing their national strategies to tackle the climate crisis. These include:
- The Arab Framework Action Plan for Climate Change (2010-2030),
- The Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2030,
- The Priority Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction 2021-2024,
- The integration of climate change into regional strategies and action plans in key sectors, such as the Arab Water Security Strategy 2010-2030, the Arab Renewable Energy Strategy 2030, the Sustainable Agricultural Development Strategy 2005-2025, and the Arab Strategy for Housing and Urban Sustainable Development 2030.
The UN Special Envoy stated that current climate finance allocations are insufficient to meet the needs of Arab countries for resilient infrastructure and adaptation to climate change impacts. Transitioning from renewable energy targets to implementing policies that regulate energy intensity, improve energy performance, and adopt nature-based solutions requires forward-looking sustainable fiscal policies in Arab countries. The effectiveness of such policies directly enhances the quantity and quality of financial resources available to address the climate crisis and achieve relevant SDGs.
Dr. Mohieldin emphasized that the severe budget constraints in many middle-income, low-income, and conflict-affected countries necessitate focusing on mobilizing climate finance through grants or concessional financing, as well as attracting additional funding from the private sector. Various tools exist to mobilize climate finance, including national funds to support climate projects, sustainability funds (mostly focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency in Arab countries, which should also include adaptation projects due to their urgent need), green bonds, and sustainability bonds. These financial instruments address the urgent need for environmentally sustainable investments, with proceeds allocated to climate action. Other innovative financial tools include blended climate finance combining public and private sector resources to support climate projects, debt-for-climate swaps, climate index-based insurance, voluntary carbon markets, and mobilizing funds from donors and investors.
He highlighted two key initiatives launched in 2022 to support climate projects regionally and locally. Dr. Mohieldin contributed to shaping their vision and overseeing their implementation as the COP27 Climate Champion and UN Special Envoy for Financing the 2030 Agenda.
- The Regional Platforms for Climate Projects Initiative, which resulted in approximately 450 investable projects worth around $500 billion, with agreements reached for financing 19 projects valued at $1.9 billion.
- The National Initiative for Green and Smart Projects in Egypt’s Governorates, which has seen three editions so far and has contributed to creating an investment map for environmental projects in Egypt. The initiative received 12,000 project proposals from all governorates and facilitated over 40 partnerships to support their implementation. The World Economic Forum praised this initiative.
