ARAB SDG INDEX AND DASHBOARD REPORT 2022: The Arab Region Tackling Climate Change: Current State and Way Forward

Abstract

The Arab region continues to face monumental developmental challenges on numerous fronts. The ongoing ‘Decade of Action for the Sustainable Development Goals’ effectively started with a socioeconomic shock triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. This further disrupted developmental trajectories in several countries in the Arab region, many of which were already going through violent conflicts or internal political turbulence.

Today, accelerating efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is more pressing than ever. Countries in the Arab region stand to gain - individually and collectively - if they manage to overcome the growing developmental challenges and accelerate efforts to achieve the SDGs. However, for these efforts to generate value and create impact through the many developmental pathways, there are several prerequisites. Among others, these include making available accurate and representative evidence for the many stakeholders, which first enables an objective localized assessment of the current state of development, and second, empowers all stakeholders with the data that can inform policy options and chart the way forward towards achieving the SDGs. In essence, understanding the current state and changing trends through a data-driven lens should provide clarity on how to overcome the many obstacles highlighted. At this crucial point in time, the objective of the Arab Region SDG Index and Dashboard is to provide a data-driven, practical tool for governments, policymakers, and other stakeholders to measure progress on the SDGs and to highlight implementation challenges and data gaps.