AFED Highlights
AFED News in a Monthly E-Bulletin
May 2016
• AFEDmag Facebook and Portal: Exceeds 1,000,000 Followers
The Facebook page of AFED's magazine is continuing to attract more followers, exceeding 1,000,000 on May 16. As Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia print edition celebrates its 20th anniversary, www.afedmag.com continues to be the most popular environment page in Arabic, both as portal and on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/afedmag
• UN Environment Assembly (UNEA), Nairobi, 19-27 May
AFED participated at the second United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 2) and related events at UNEP's headquarters in Nairobi between 19-27 May, including: Science-Policy Forum (19-20 May), the High-Level Group (HLG) supervising the Global environment Outlook report (GEO-6) due in 2018, and the Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum- GMGSF (21-22 May). AFED discussed drafts of its upcoming report on Implementing Sustainable Development Goals in the Arab region. AFED Secretary General contributed to four sessions http://afed.me/1XLtWhv
• Saab Meets Newly Appointed UNEP Executive Director, Nairobi, 27 May
AFED Secretary General Najib Saab met Erik Solheim, the newly appointed Executive Director of UNEP, with a global Major Groups delegation. Solheim promised to introduce new language to UNEP, making its message more accessible to people. Saab explained that while AFED reports on the State of Arab Environment are rooted in science, they are presented in a way which makes them comprehensible to policy makers and the public alike http://afed.me/1sIpch0
AFED at the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development, Amman, 29-30 May
Organized by ESCWA and League of Arab States, AFED participated in the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development (AFSD) which convened in Amman on 29-30 May 2016. Mr. Bashar Zeitoon, AFED consultant and co-editor of some AFED reports, represented the organization along with Ms. Mariam Jaajaa from the Association for Protection of Nature (APN), an AFED Civil Society member. The Forum is a high-level meeting intended as a primary regional platform to discuss cohesive and coordinated implementation and follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Arab region. For more: https://www.unescwa.org/arab-forum-sustainable-development-2016
• AFED to participate in Global Green Growth Forum (3GF), Copenhagen, 6-7 June
The Global Green Growth 2016 summit will zoom in on developing and implementing scalable green growth solutions in the context of the world's new climate goals and targets on sustainable development.
3GF gathers more than 250 high level participants from governments, businesses, international organizations and financial institutions. AFED Secretary General will be a panelist in a plenary session on Aspirations and Opportunities for the Growing Middle Class, talking about the findings of AFED report on Sustainable Consumption. He will also be a discussant in a partnership session on Pricing Water http://3gf.dk/
• AFED Annual Conference on 10-11 November 2016 at AUB, Beirut
AFED confirmed that it will be holding its ninth annual conference on 10-11 November 2016 at the American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanon. The theme will be sustainable development goals in a changing climate, based on a comprehensive report on the subject which AFED is preparing in cooperation with a group of experts. The conference will be part of AUB's 150th Anniversary. http://afed.me/1UacM7L
