Environment
Outlook for the
Arab Region
The First Comprehensive Policy-Relevant
Environmental Assessment Report for the Arab Region
Spring, 2009
Introduction
ENVIRONMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT
AND HUMAN WELL-BEING
The Arab region is facing critical environmental issues (e.g. water management,
desertification, degradation of coastal environment, air pollution), as well as
emerging environmental threats, such as increased natural hazards. As these
issues are inextricably linked to human welfare, the theme of the Environment
Outlook for the Arab Region (EOAR) is ‘Environment for Development and Human
Well Being.’ EOAR builds upon the previous landmark assessments in the region
and upon the growing interest and attention devoted to environmental and
developmental issues in the Arab region. It profiles the region’s environmental
resources both as assets and challenges for development. EOAR reaffirms the need
for sustainable livelihoods and for an integrated, unified and implemented PanArab environmental strategy. Although the region is riddled with environmental
problems, it nevertheless has the ability - in terms of financial, environmental
and human resources – to build sustainable economic development. It is
hoped that this report be the first of regular, scientific assessments of the
region’s environment and that it continues to support policymakers in making
scientifically-founded decisions.
Background
The EOAR report process started at the request of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for
the Environment (CAMRE) in a resolution adopted at its 17th Session, held at the headquarters of
the League of Arab States (LAS) in December 2005 in Cairo, Egypt. The resolution invited UNEP to
prepare an Arab Environment Outlook in collaboration with Arab Specialized Organizations and GEO
Collaborating Centers in the region. After a few years of data-gathering and analysis by experts in their
respective fields, the result has been an up-to-date, comprehensive, reliable, scientifically credible,
policy-relevant, regional assessment and outlook of the interaction between environment and society
in the Arab region.
The EOAR process has followed the model of the Global Environmental Outlook (GEO) reports, which
began in 1995 with a global environmental assessment process that is cross-sectoral and participatory,
incorporates regional views and perceptions and builds consensus on priority issues and actions
through dialogue among policy-makers and scientists at regional and global levels; and outputs that
provide guidance for decision-making processes such as the formulation of environmental policies,
action planning and resource allocation. It is upon that framework that the EOAR has been built.
Objective
Target Audience
The primary target of this report is the Council of Arab
Ministers Responsible for the Environment (CAMRE) and other
relevant entities of the League of Arab States. However, the
report also targets policy makers at the national and regional
levels, in addition to nongovernmental organizations, the
private sector, academics, teachers and the public, and donor
agencies.
The report aims to provide an up-to-date, comprehensive, reliable,
scientifically credible, policy-relevant and legitimate regional
assessment and outlook of the interaction between environment
and society. This authoritative document will be used by CAMRE and
other regional and national stakeholders for sound decision-making
and policy formulation to improve environmental management and
achieve progress towards sustainable development in the region.
The process will produce an authoritative regional assessment report
and associated products, such as decision makers summary, fact
sheets, vital graphics, etc, which will provide an analysis of the main
environmental issues, their causes, impacts on the environment,
current responses and items for actions.
...BRINGING AN HOLISTIC APPROACH TO THE ENVIRONMENT...
Partners
Approach
The EOAR process has been participatory, with inputs by scientists
and other experts from national and regional institutions and
government stakeholders in the Arab region. A network of
Collaborating Centres and experts have been active in preparing
the report. The report is being prepared by UNEP, under the
umbrella of the League of Arab States, Council of Arab Ministers
Responsible for Environment (CAMRE), and in partnership with
Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region
and Europe (CEDARE), Arabian Gulf University, and the Arab Center for the Studies of
Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD), Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative
(AGEDI), Environment Agency (as co-sponsor), and input from Kuwait Institute for
Scientific Research (KISR). Many other national, regional and international institutions
are contributing to the process.
The EOAR follows GEO-4 conceptual framework, which
attempts to reflect the key components of the complex and
multidimensional, multiscalar, multidisciplinary and temporal
More than 50 experts are engaged in the preparation of the report.
chain of cause-and-effect that characterizes the interactions
between society and environment. The conceptual framework,
therefore, attempts to further improve our understanding of
the links between environmental services, human well-being
and vulnerability to environmental change. The emphasis
throughout EOAR is on understanding the holistic nature of
particular Arab environmental problems and understanding
how best to alleviate the pressures and transform challenges
into potential opportunities. The analytical approach is a focus
on the human-environment interaction as expressed through
the DPSIR framework (Driver, Pressure, State, Impact, Response).
It is an attempt to bring different ideas together into a coherent
overarching analytical approach.
Needs
Demand for timely, accurate and consistent environmental information
and scientific knowledge by decision-makers is increasing with the
mounting human pressure on the environment. The process of producing
the Environment Outlook for the Arab Region (EOAR), which engages 22
governments, identified the following needs:
(a)
Strengthened interaction between science and policy particularly
by strengthening the credibility, timeliness, legitimacy, relevance of and
complementarities among environmental assessments so as not to overburden
the scientific community;
(b)
Enhanced focus on scientific inter-linkages between environmental
challenges and responses to them as well as between environmental and
development challenges as a basis for environmental mainstreaming and
development of scenarios and modeling about plausible futures;
(c)
Improved quantity, quality, interoperability and accessibility of data
and information for most environmental issues including for early warnings
related to natural disasters;
(d)
Enhanced capacities in the Arab region for data collection and analysis
and for environmental monitoring and integrated assessment; and
(e)
Improved cooperation and synergy among UN bodies, LAS, and
regional environmental organizations.
ISSUES... CAUSES... IMPACTS...
POLICIES... ALTERNATIVES...
Key Questions
•
What are the main environmental issues affecting
the Arab region, what are the persistent issues
and what are emerging environmental threats?
•
What are the causes of environmental changes in
the region? How is the structure of development
affecting the environment?
•
What analyses can be provided as to the
environmental state and trends over the past 35
years in terms of pressures?
•
Where is the Arab region’s environment heading?
What are the scenarios for the future?
•
What is being done in terms of policy responses
and how effective have such policies been?
•
How could we break the traditional barriers and
introduce innovation to address persistent and
emerging environmental issues?
Environment Outlook for the Arab Region: Content & Structure
This report is structured with emphasis given first to the diversity of priorities and policy initiatives of the past 35 years throughout the
Arab region. EOAR provides a comprehensive assessment of environmental conditions and trends and its implications for human wellbeing and development. It also includes an analysis of scenarios and projections to best assist policymakers in decision-making.
Drivers of Environmental Change
Conditions & Trends
Interlinkages
Section 1: Environment for Development and
Human Well-Being sets the overall context for the
Section 2: State and Trends of the Environment
(1972-2007) focuses on the major environmental issues
Section 3: Environmental Change, Human
Dimensions explores in depth the complexities
analysis by providing an overview on the human dimension
and human well-being in the environment-human nexus.
The main chapter in this section (Chapter 1) explores the
critical primary linkages between human well-being,
economic development, and a viable and sustainable
environment. The chapter discusses the main social and
economic human drivers of environmental change, and
considers how these drivers impact on human well-being,
environment, and development.
in the region and presents the state of the environment
through them. Thus, individual chapters are devoted to
the following themes: water, land, coastal and marine
environment, human settlement, biodiversity, and
atmosphere. Each of these thematic areas is assessed
using the Driving Forces-Pressure-State-Impact-Response
analysis framework.
of environmental issues, given the state and trends
discussed in Sections 1 and 2, and demonstrates the
complex relationships that exist between different
environmental sectors and between environment
and development.
Specifically, chapters are
devoted to interlinkages, challenges & opportunities
(within which there is a section giving attention to
the environmental impact of armed conflict), and
emerging environmental issues.
Four Future Scenarios
Policy Options
Section 4: The Outlook - Towards 2015 and
Beyond examines the varied environmental scenarios
Section 5: Environment for Development: Our
Common Future concludes with a chapter devoted
that could impact the Arab region as a whole and as subregions. Through these scientifically-based scenarios,
it becomes clear that no one sub-region can work alone
in resolving the varied environmental and economic
developmental problems; rather, there is a critical need –
and clear opportunity – for full regional integration and
cooperation.
to clear, implementable policy options, based on the
previous chapters. Although the environmental and
economic problems afflicting the Arab region are severe
and varied, with a unified Pan Arab strategy, a sustainable
environmental world becomes possible.
...BREAKING
TRADITIONAL
BARRIERS...
EOAR Data
EOAR is supported by a number of Data Portals that provide an authoritative
source of environmental data to support the report. The portals are the first of
their kind for the region and provide a gateway for environmental data to other
stakeholders interested in the region. The Portals are accessible at:
http://www.unep.org/geo/data/westasia/
http://gridnairobi.unep.org/aeo_eis/
http://geodata.grid.unep.ch/
http://portal.cedare.int/
EOAR is also supported by a number of GIS and remote sensing map servers
which are accessible at:
http://www.unep.org/dewa/westasia/mapserver/
http://gridnairobi.unep.org/Portal/
http://gis.cedare.int/cedare2/default.asp
EOAR Review & Launch
Prepared by 50+ experts, the Environment Outlook for the Arab Region
report will undergo extensive peer-review process, through:
- 20 chapter review editors
- More than 400 review experts
- 20 eminent reviewers
- 3 report editors
- Consultation meeting and review by countries, academic institutions,
NGOs, Media, regional organizations and UN Bodies throughout the region.
The launch of the EOAR is planned for Spring 2009.
Several launches will be organized around the Arab region. Press kits and media materials will be
available for the launches, as well as a targeted outreach campaign.
The Arab Region
The Arab Region consists of 22 countries; 12 from West Asia (Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Occupied Palestinian Territories,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen) and 10 from Africa (Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania,
Morocco, Somalia, Sudan and Tunisia).
Mr. Habib N. El-Habr, PhD.
Mr. Adel Farid Abdel-Kader, PhD.
Director and Regional Representative
Regional Coordinator
UNEP/Regional Office for West Asia
UNEP Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA)-West Asia
P.O. Box 10880 Manama, Bahrain
P.O. Box 10880 Bahrain, Manama
Tel: +973-17 812777 ext 755
Tel. Direct: +973-17 812785
Dir: +973-17 812755 or +973-17 825288
Tel. Main: +973-17 812777 ext 785
Fax: +973-17 825110/111
Fax: +973-17 825110/111
E-Mail: [email protected]
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.unep.org.bh
www.unep.org/dewa/westasia