Experts and officials in conclave in Dakhla to debate environmental challenges and their impact on the development of Arab cities. This event comes in reaction to the multiplication of challenges that urban regions are facing in the Arab world.
A galaxy of academics, experts, and officials in the fields of environment, administration, and economic and social development is meeting, from April 5 to 7 in Dakhla, to debate "Environmental challenges and their impact on the urban development of cities and regions" in Arab countries.
In its presentation of the general framework of this colloquium, the Arab Institute for City Development emphasized that the organization of this event comes in reaction to the multiplication of environmental challenges that cities and urban regions are facing in the Arab world, and this following population growth and the intensification of urbanism and economic activities, which in turn generate more needs and increased consumption of natural and environmental resources.
The importance of this colloquium, continues the document, consists in the study of ways to apprehend environmental challenges and the effects of pollution on social and economic development, on the one hand, and natural resources and the risks they represent for humans, animals, and vegetation, on the other hand.
This colloquium also aims to inquire about the role of new technologies in the fight against environmental challenges and the waste of resources, and the quest for the necessary balances to avoid ecological disasters or limit their impact.
This event is the opportunity for many experts and speakers to exchange their ideas and experiences while raising awareness about the challenges that decision-makers and professionals must overcome in the field of economic, social, and urban development in their interaction with environmental issues.
This conference has defined seven objectives for itself, namely the identification of the most important environmental issues that Arab cities are facing, as well as their impact on natural resources, the economy, and society, the statement of scientific, technical, and administrative tools to fight against the risks and threats caused by pollution, and the knowledge of legislation and organic laws in the field of environmental protection.
These objectives also consist in the support of partnerships between citizens and mechanisms of the public and private sectors for the protection of the environment and the sustainable development of cities and regions, the highlighting of the role of governments, local and central, in dealing with issues of this type, the affirmation of the role of the citizen and local communities in the fight against environmental challenges and their socioeconomic impact, the preservation of the environmental resources of cities and regions, and the identification of ways to rid cities of problems related to the environment.
The debates will be focused, notably, on "Environmental challenges in urban development," "Legislation, policies, environmental data, and their role in sustainable urban development," "The role of the State and the citizen in the preservation of the natural environment," "The role of local administration in dealing with local environmental problems, in complementarity with that of planners, economists, and environmentalists," and "Arab and international experiences in terms of dealing with environmental problems in cities and regions."
This Forum is organized in collaboration with the wilaya of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region, the Council of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region, the Municipal Council of Dakhla, as well as the Arab Institute for City Development based in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
The program for this colloquium also provides for conferences, presentations of roadmaps, working visits to sites related to the theme of the colloquium, workshops, and a fair in parallel to this Forum for the exhibition of project models in the field of urban, socioeconomic, and environmental development of cities and regions.
