Cairo, Egypt | 19 - 21 October 2003

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Sunday, October 19, 2003 | The UN Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (UN ESCWA) opened today its Regional Implementation Meeting in Preparation for CSD-12. The meeting, held at the headquarters of the League of Arab States in Cairo, Egypt, will continue
until Wednesday 21 October. On the first day, participants heard opening statements and considered reports on water, sanitation and habitats.

 

Ahmed Hamza, Alexandria University, presented a report on achievements in the field of sanitation, stressing that one of the Millennium Development Goals was to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to sanitation by 2015.

 

Hosni Khordagui, UN ESCWA, stressed the importance of regional and sub-regional actors to implement the Plan of Implementation adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), and noted that regional processes were increasingly coordinated.	Reporting on progress made regarding water issues, Nabil Rofail, Desert research Center of Egypt, noted main constraints to the implementation of WSSD recommendations in the Arab region, including: poor governance; weak legislative and institutional frameworks; lack of public awareness; lack of strategies for shared river basins; and lack of a holistic approach to planning and implementation. He highlighted the success story of the Nile Basin, based on partnerships and providing for civil society participation.
Bjorn Ostern (left), Ambassador of Norway, said regions were invited to share their views and experiences, noting that on the road to achieving sustainable development, one size does not fit all. Mahmoud Riad (right), State Minister for Environment of the Arab Republic of Egypt, stressed the importance of the meeting, which provides an opportunity for the Arab region to develop a joint action plan.
Tarek Wafik, Cairo University, reported on progress made regarding human settlements. He reviewed achievements pertaining to improving the lives of the urban and rural poor, providing adequate environmental infrastructure, planning and managing sustainable human settlements, and integrated capacity building and resources mobilization.	Fatma Salah El Din El Mallah, League of Arab States, reminded participants that the meeting had to produce recommendations for presentation to the UN Secretary General.

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