Environment Outlook for the Arab Region€¦ · provide guidance for decision-making processes such as the formulation of environmental policies, ... The EOAR follows GEO-4 conceptual

Environment Outlook for the Arab Region

The First Comprehensive Policy-Relevant Environmental Assessment Report for the Arab Region

Spring, 2009

Introduction

Background

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 Pan-Arab 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.

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.

ENVIRONMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT

AND HUMAN WELL-BEING

...BRINGING AN HOLISTIC APPROACH TO THE ENVIRONMENT...

Objective Target Audience

Partners Approach

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 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.

More than 50 experts are engaged in the preparation of the report.

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.

The EOAR follows GEO-4 conceptual framework, which attempts to reflect the key components of the complex and multidimensional, multiscalar, multidisciplinary and temporal 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.

ISSUES... CAUSES... IMPACTS... POLICIES... ALTERNATIVES...

NeedsDemand 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.

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?

Section 4: The Outlook - Towards 2015 and Beyond examines the varied environmental scenarios that could impact the Arab region as a whole and as sub-regions. 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.

Section 5: Environment for Development: Our Common Future concludes with a chapter devoted 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.

Section 3: Environmental Change, Human Dimensions explores in depth the complexities 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.

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 well-

being and development. It also includes an analysis of scenarios and projections to best assist policymakers in decision-making.

Environment Outlook for the Arab Region: Content & Structure

Section 1: Environment for Development and Human Well-Being sets the overall context for the 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.

Section 2: State and Trends of the Environment (1972-2007) focuses on the major environmental issues 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.

InterlinkagesConditions & Trends

Four Future Scenarios Policy Options

Drivers of Environmental Change

...BREAKINGTRADITIONAL

BARRIERS...

EOAR Review & LaunchPrepared 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.

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 Data

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).

The Arab Region

Mr. Adel Farid Abdel-Kader, PhD.

Regional Coordinator

UNEP Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA)-West Asia

P.O. Box 10880 Bahrain, Manama

Tel. Direct: +973-17 812785

Tel. Main: +973-17 812777 ext 785

Fax: +973-17 825110/111

E-Mail: [email protected]

www.unep.org/dewa/westasia

Mr. Habib N. El-Habr, PhD.

Director and Regional Representative

UNEP/Regional Office for West Asia

P.O. Box 10880 Manama, Bahrain

Tel: +973-17 812777 ext 755

Dir: +973-17 812755 or +973-17 825288

Fax: +973-17 825110/111

E-Mail: [email protected]

www.unep.org.bh