Dr. Essam Saeed, Acting Minister of Housing, chaired the meeting of the Executive Bureau of the Council of Arab Ministers of Housing and Reconstruction at the Arab League during its 79th session, which was held over the past two days in Cairo, to discuss the draft Arab Strategy for Housing and Sustainable Urban Development and to strengthen opportunities for cooperation among Arab countries in the field of housing and urban development.
The Arab Strategy for Housing
During the sessions, Dr. Essam Saeed emphasized that the Arab Strategy for Housing and Sustainable Urban Development constitutes a framework for joint Arab action and an important step toward strengthening the bonds of regional integration in the Arab world.
The new strategy, which was prepared at the request of the Council of Arab Ministers of Housing and Reconstruction, with the participation of the Council’s Technical Secretariat, member states of the Executive Office, and the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat), His Excellency the Acting Minister of Housing explained that the strategy aims to propose goals and objectives for the development of the housing sector and the achievement of sustainable urban development, in line with the national efforts of each country and the pursuit of sustainable development in the Arab region.
The strategy focused on creating livable cities or human settlements that are capable of optimizing their productive potential and fulfilling their development promises to all their residents, which requires efficient city management to ensure economic competitiveness and raise living standards.
Urban Development System
The Minister in charge, who chaired the session, noted that the strategy relies on two elements: first, the need to establish an urban development system at the regional level, and second, the need to foster cooperation among Arab countries to exchange expertise. He expressed his hope that the strategy would yield a number of diverse positive outcomes in both the short and long term.
Dr. Essam Saeed said: «Among the most important of these outcomes are the harmonization of concepts and standards for urban development and sustainable housing among Arab countries, capitalizing on previous successful experiences, integrating economic, social, environmental, and urban policy objectives, and identifying key issues and linking them to international trends.
Integrated Urban Development
The Arab ministers of housing agreed on the wording of the future vision for the proposed strategy: «The development of integrated and sustainable urban communities that are resilient and competitive and provide a better quality of life in the Arab world,» The goals and objectives of this strategy were also formulated, including main objectives under which secondary objectives fall across all areas of urban development, on the basis that each country will determine the appropriate indicators for itself, in accordance with its priorities, to measure progress toward achieving these goals. It was clarified that the strategy’s timeframe is fifteen years (2015–2030), with a review every five years.
The Importance of the Strategy
The importance of the strategy lies in the need to establish a framework for urban development at the regional level and to foster cooperation among Arab countries to exchange expertise, expressing hope that it will achieve a number of diverse positive outcomes in both the short and long term, the most important of which are standardizing concepts and criteria for urban development and sustainable housing among Arab countries, building on previous successful experiences, integrating economic, social, environmental, andand urban planning, identifying key issues, and linking them to international trends.
