联合国西亚经济社会委员会-在第二届世界社会发展峰会之前，阿拉伯地区的战略重点

conflict and shrinking fiscal spacesocial integration, seem further out of reach.©unai/stock.adobe.com .1Additional actions needed to achieve socialdevelopment amid conflicts, fiscal constraints,climate pressures and the digital divideConflicts in the Arab region, directly affecting 40percent of the region’s populationliving in eight countries, have had a devastating human toll and caused regression onmany SDGs. In Gaza alone, around 50,000 were killed between October 2023 and January2025. More than 70 million people across the region require humanitarian assistance. Toprogress towards social development in countries affected by conflict, it is crucial to:De-escalate conflict and promote peaceas preconditions for development byidentifying and addressing the root causesof conflict and enhancing dialogue andcooperation.Call on the global community to upholdinternational law and implement UnitedNations resolutions to foster stability,security and justice in conflict-affected andoccupied countries.The Arab region’s debt reached $1.55trillion in 2023, while external debt servicing formiddle-income countries reached $40billion in 2024. This is constraining the ability ofcountries in the region to increase social expenditure to global standard levels. The globaldiscussion on social development cannot be delinked from financing. The Arab regionneeds to advocate for:Implementing commitments in the Pact forthe Future on reforming the global financialarchitecture.Implementing debt relief measures andincreasing development assistance to closethe financing gap for social protection inlow- and middle-income countries andconflict-affected States.Enacting domestic reforms to strengthenresource mobilization and create fiscal spaceto sustain social spending while prioritizingservices for at-risk populations.InGazaalone, around50,000were killedbetween October2023 and January 2025Conflicts in the Arab region,directly affecting40%of theregion’s populationThe Arab region’sdebtreached$1.55trillionin2023Externaldebtservicingformiddle-incomecountriesreached$40billionin2024 Climate change threatens the Arab region, which is the most water-scarce andfood-import dependent region in the world. Around 90percent of the region’s populationlives in countries grappling with water scarcity, and vast numbers of people confrontescalating droughts and other climate-related disasters. Countries in the Arab region donot have the means to address the climate crisis, having received less than 6percentof the climate finance needed to fulfil the goals outlined in costed nationally determinedcontributions (the region received $34.5billion in core public funding from 2010-2020).Advancing social development under climate change requires:The global community to increase the shareof grant or concessional climate financing andto provide targeted international support forclimate-related interventions in least developedcountries and conflict-affected States.Countries to mainstream climate in socialdevelopment policies (including social protectionsystems that integrate climate resilience)and seek just transitions to more sustainableeconomies that create decent work opportunities.The digital divide persists in the Arab region, where 154 million individuals lack accessto the Internet. In addition to differences between countries, gender and regionaldisparities are stark with 75.1percent of men having access to the Internet comparedto 64.4percent of women. Urban areas have an Internet access rate of 82.9percent,compared to 50.1percent in rural areas. To maximize the potential of digitaltransformation for SDG acceleration, the Arab region needs to advocate for:Ensuring the digital inclusion of all groups,including older persons, by enhancing digitalskills, making digital technology moreaffordable and accessible, and encouragingintergenerational and lifelong learning in thedigital realm.Enhancing global digital governance,preventing monopolization of technologyby major actors, ensuring digital access inconflict-affected countries, and prohibitingthe use of information and communicationtechnologies as a weapon of war.of theregion’spopulationlivesin countriesgrappling withwater scarcity90%©Khunatorn/stock.adobe.com .2Poverty eradicationIn contrast with the global trend, poverty in theArab region continues to rise. In 2023, an estimated18.3percent of the population was living below theextreme poverty line of $2.15perday. This is morethan double the proportion that lived below thatthreshold in 2015 (7.2percent) and almost triplethe 2005 rate (6.2percent).Social protection programmes in most countriesare limited in terms of budget allocation andfragmented in terms of policy design andorganizational set-up, failing to prevent peoplefrom falling into poverty. With only 34.7percentof the population covered by at least one socialprotection programme in 2023 (compared to aworld average of 52.4percent), the Arab region isfar from realizing the right to social pro