Workshop on National Development Strategies and Plans
for the Middle East & Central Asia Region
Implementing The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and SDGs
27-29 October 2015, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Organizers: The Group Strategic Planning Department of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IDBG,
www.ISDB.org); the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (www.UNOSD.org);
the Ministry of Finance, United Arab Emirates
Partners:
The Sustainable Development Planning Network (www.SDplanNet.org) and the International
Institute for Sustainable Development (www.IISD.org)
Theme:
Innovative Approaches for National Development Planning, Implementation and Monitoring
in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and The 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development
Scope: IDBG Member Countries have been involved in formulating UN led Sustainable Development
Goals through G77+China. The forum brings together representatives of national planning ministries and
independent think tanks in IDBG Member Countries in the Middle East and Central Asia region to share
their experiences and visions for long term strategic and integrated planning in the context of SDGs.
Program: The program will provide expert presentations and training on innovative tools for linking SDGs
with national strategic planning, implementation and monitoring, and will provide an opportunity for
participants from IDBG member countries to share their experiences in long-term strategic planning.
Moderators: Mohamad Rafee Yusoff, Director of Group Strategic Planning Department, IDBG and Dr.
Jong Soo Yoon, Head of UNOSD
Preliminary Agenda:
Day 1 Morning
 Welcome and Introductions
 Special session on UAE National Strategic Planning
 Country government and expert presentations on national development planning and SDGs
Day 1 Afternoon
 Expert presentations on SDGs and The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
 Country government and expert presentations on national development planning and SDGs
 Training Session #1: GovernAbilities – Planning and Governance Tools at the Nexus of
Sustainability, Accountability and Adaptability
Day 2 Morning
 Special session on partnerships: Collaborative model of the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Economy
and Planning, UNDP and UNDESA on SD Planning and Policy
 Scenario exercise: participants to build a set of idealized transformative strategy, planning,
implementation and monitoring practices for a fictional country in the future.
Day 2 Afternoon
 Training Session #2: Linking MDBs Strategies to National/Regional/Thematic Strategies
 Participant exercise to identify capacity building needs for integrated national planning in the
context of SDGs and The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Day 3 Closing Sessions and Field Trip
Registration and Sponsorship: Registration for this event is free and includes lunches and networking
dinners. Limited travel funding is available per existing UN rules and regulations on a first-come, firstserved basis. Space is limited.
Summary of Training Sessions
GovernAbilities: The Nexus of Sustainability, Accountability and Adaptability
Essential Planning and Governance Tools for the 21st Century
Governments today are challenged more than ever in three operational areas:
pursuing sustainable development, being accountable to the public for the
expenditure of taxpayer dollars, and anticipating and adapting to critical and
cumulative risk. Tools exist for helping achieve all three of these challenges
together. Tools introduced in the training session:
 Scenario analysis and planning;
 Outcome-based budgeting;
 Indicator information systems; and
 Multi-stakeholder councils.
Training Instructor: Darren Swanson is the co-author of the IISD publication on
‘GovernAbilities’ and lead author and editor of ‘Creating Adaptive Policies: A guide for Policy-making in an Uncertain
World.’ He is Director of Novel Futures Corporation, coordinator of SDplanNet, and a former director of the
Measurement and Assessment Program at IISD. With Masters Degrees in civil engineering and in public
administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Mr. Swanson draws from a diverse science-policy
knowledge base when assisting governments and organizations in the pursuit of sustainability, accountability and
adaptability.
Linking MDBs Strategies to National/Regional/Thematic Strategies
The IDBG Ten-year Strategic Framework Topics covered in the training session:
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Engagement Approaches and Modalities
Partnership, Scaling Up and Institutionalization
Monitoring for Development Results
Socializing the agenda
Training Instructor: Rafee Yusoff is Director, Group Strategic Planning, Islamic
Development Bank, KSA; is involved in strengthening the IDBG to become a more
knowledge-intensive development institution and consequently in assisting its 56 Member
Countries transformation planning and programming in a rapidly changing world, towards
realizing the global agenda of IDB Vision 1440H and IDBG 10 Year Strategy. Apart from
his experience in MDBs, Rafee from a diverse policy-science knowledge when working
under the leadership of the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr Mahathir Mohamed, where
Rafee was part of the leadership team in Malaysia industrialization and knowledge-base
transformation program until early 2000 with flagship program of the Multimedia Super Corridor, National ICT Agenda,
various Cyberlaws and the establishment of new institutions like the National Information Center, CyberSecurity. During
this period, which includes a couple of global financial crises, Rafee was entrusted with multi-billion ringgit development
initiatives and enterprises. Rafee has served in various technology intensive enterprises include establishing Venture
Fund, World Class Semiconductor Fabrications Facilities and eBusiness services.
Stay tuned for more information on the workshop website at:
www.UNOSD.org