Arab Urban Future - Harnessing Local Action and Voluntary Local Reviews for Sustainable Cities

As cities continue to grow and evolve, it is widely recognized that localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is essential for achieving sustainable development. There is growing awareness of the pivotal role cities play in this regard, particularly in strengthening data for evidence-based decision-making and taking high-impact actions towards sustainable development.
In the Arab States region, local and regional governments encounter numerous daily challenges, including widespread inequalities, protracted conflicts, biodiversity degradation, and the adverse effects of climate change.
With water and food scarcity, as well as extreme heat already prevalent in the region, it is crucial for Arab cities to find equitable ways to mitigate and adapt to the changing climate's impacts on their citizens, thereby enhancing overall resilience in their communities.
Protracted conflict and wars have significantly impacted many parts of the Arab region, leading to mass displacement to urban centers. Arab cities must devise careful and intelligent strategies to manage and finance post-conflict recovery, guided by sustainability and resilience goals.
Recent natural hazards, such as earthquakes in Syria and Morocco, as well as floods in Libya, serve as stark reminders that much of the responsibility for recovery efforts and service delivery often falls on local and regional governments.
These interconnected crises underscore, once again, the key role that cities, local action, and local and regional governments have in safeguarding population well-being and accelerating SDG implementation and achievement. However, they often struggle with limited capacities to fulfill their mandates effectively.
In this context, leveraging data-driven approaches and Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) emerges as a tool of choice, providing a structured framework for local governments to assess their progress, identify areas for improvement, and engage stakeholders in the process of sustainable development planning and implementation.
In the Arab region, four cities have already developed VLRs, namely Amman, Jordan – Agadir, Morocco – Al Madinah, Saudi Arabia – and Hay Ennour, Tunisia. An additional three are currently in progress: Irbid, Jordan – Ramallah, Palestine – and Abu Dhabi, UAE. VLRs have proven to be powerful tools for accelerating SDG localization worldwide and are poised to play a catalytic role in SDG achievement in the Arab Region.
Following its experience in improving citizens' Quality of Life through SDG localization, the city of Agadir would like to build on the momentum generated by hosting the World Urban Forum in the Arab region to strengthen political commitment to SDG localization across the Arab countries. Through the exchange of concrete experiences and best practices led by national and local governments, the session will provide a platform for fostering collaboration, peer learning, and the establishment of impactful partners.