The Arab Regional Implementation Meeting (RIM) on Rio+20 Outcomes took place from 29-30 May 2013, in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and was one of a series of events organized by the UN Regional Commissions to discuss follow-up on the main outcomes of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) and the post-2015 development agenda.
30 May 2013: The Arab Regional Implementation Meeting (RIM) on Rio+20 Outcomes took place from 29-30 May 2013, in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and was one of a series of events organized by the UN Regional Commissions to discuss follow-up on the main outcomes of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) and the post-2015 development agenda.
The Arab RIM discussed: possible regional initiatives to complement the elaboration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the establishment of a high-level political forum (HLPF), which is expected to replace the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD); their implications for the sustainable development agenda in the Arab region; and priorities for implementation.
More specifically, topics addressed during the meeting included: a report on green economy priorities for the Arab region and an investment road map prepared by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA); opportunities for enhancing Arab regional and national institutions for sustainable development; and a proposal to update the Sustainable Development Initiative in the Arab Region (SDIAR), a framework for action first presented at the World Summit on Social Development (WSSD) in 1992.
Delegates agreed to the ‘Dubai Document for the Implementation of the Rio+20 Outcomes in the Arab Region,’ which will inform discussions on the HLPF and SDGs, as well as on the post-2015 development agenda. The Dubai Document will also be presented to the Council of Arab Ministers on the Environment (CAMRE) to inform an update on SDIAR.
The meeting was convened by ESCWA, together with the League of Arab States (LAS), the UNEP Regional Office for West Asia (UNEP ROWA), the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water and the Zayed International Foundation for the Environment. [IISD RS Report of the Arab RIM on Rio+20 Outcomes][Sustainable Development Policy & Practice coverage of Asia-Pacific RIM][Sustainable Development Policy & Practice coverage of UNECE meeting]