10 December 2012: Addressing the 17th meeting of the UN Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) for the Arab States, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson stressed the need for discussions on an Arab and regional perspective on the post-2015 development agenda, to ensure that the region’s priorities are considered.

At the RCM, held in Beirut, Lebanon, on 10 December 2012, Eliasson referred to the political changes occurring throughout the region in the past two years, suggesting that now is an opportune time to set a new course of development.

He said the RCM has a role to play in reinforcing energy, water, transport, and food and nutrition as building blocks of sustainable development, and that the RCM can “direct our focus on the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs], which we must do as the 2015 deadline approaches.” [UN Press Release] [Webpage for RCM]