• AFED at the launch of ESCWA-FAO joint report on Arab Food Security Prospects, Beirut, 1 February
AFED Secretary General Najib Saab participated in a roundtable to launch "Arab Horizon 2030: Prospects for Enhancing Food Security in the Arab Region" report, at ESCWA headquarters. The joint ESCWA-FAO report discusses challenges and opportunities, calling for strengthening food security through regional cooperation among Arab countries, enhancing productivity, stopping waste and adjusting consumption patterns. AFED associates and co-authors of its report Food Security, including Dr. Abdulkarim Sadik and Dr. Nahla Hwalla participated in the review of the report during production phase https://afed.me/2D2jdIU

• AFED participates in GEO-6 Preparatory Meeting, Singapore, 19-23 February
AFED participated in the high-level group's meeting (HLG) of authors and experts involved in overseeing the production of Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6) report. The panel proposed "Innovation for a Better Environment" as main theme of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) in March 2019, as a way to disseminate GEO-6. The Secretary General presented AFED views on the Summary for Policy Makers to be prepared by the HLG and the communication plan for GEO-6 https://afed.me/2D2jdIU

• Seminar on Renewable Energy at Shoman Forum, Jordan, 27 March
Dr. Ibrahim Abdul Gelil, professor at the Arab Gulf University and co-author of several AFED reports, participated in a lecture on renewable energy, as part of "Environment Today" programme organized by the Abdul Hameed Shoman Cultural Forum, in cooperation with AFED. Abdul Gelil discussed Arab status regarding renewable energy, highlighting findings of AFED reports. Also participating in the lecture was Dr. Malik Kabariti, former Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, who discussed status and prospects for renewable energy in Jordan. The lecture was moderated by Ruba Zu'bi https://afed.me/2uyDiHO

• UN Forum on Sustainable Development, Beirut, 27-29 March
AFED participated in the Arab meeting on energy and water-related issues, hosted by ESCWA at the UN House in Beirut. The regional meeting was meant to help develop a suitable Arab response at the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, scheduled for July 2018 at UN Headquarters in New York. AFED Secretary General moderated a session on "Partnerships to Advance Interlinkages between Energy and other SDGs". Dr. Waleed Zubari, AFED associate and coordinator of the water management program at Arabian Gulf University, highlighted the water-energy-food nexus approach during the water sessions https://afed.me/2uyDiHO

• AFED Chapter in Arab Thought 10th Report, Dubai, 10-12 April
AFED prepared a chapter entitled "Achieving Arab Sustainable Development Goals" as part of the 10th Arab Cultural Development Report, published by the Arab Thought Foundation entitled "Scientific Research, Technological Development and Innovation in Arab Countries and its Contribution Towards Comprehensive and Sustainable Development". AFED will also participate in the annual "Fikr 16" conference "The Implications of Chaos and the Challenges of the Stability Industry" to be held from 10-12 April in Dubai, where the foundation will launch its tenth report on the eve of the conference https://afed.me/2uyDiHO

• AFED report at the University of Bahrain, Bahrain, 25 April
AFED presents its tenth report "Arab Environment in 10 Years" at the University of Bahrain, where the highlights of the report will be discussed with a group of academic officials, students and representatives of the civil society on 25 April. Dr. Riad Hamza, President of the University of Bahrain, and founding member on AFED Board of Trustees, will open the discussions. AFED Secretary General Najib Saab and Dr. Abdulkarim Sadik, Senior Economic Advisor at Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and member of AFED Board of Trustees, will discuss with the audience selected chapters from the report, covering ten years of development, on topics such as environmental governance, water, energy, food, air quality and green financing. Other than launching at AFED annual conference in Beirut, the report was presented in Amman and Cairo, as part of an Arab tour https://afed.me/2uyDiHO

• Financing Sustainable Development in Arab Countries: AFED 2018 Report and Conference, Beirut, 8-9 November
Work continues on AFED eleventh annual report on Financing Sustainable Development in Arab Countries. The report will identify funding needs, gaps, options and mechanisms, with a focus on sources and their respective roles.
The 2018 report will tackle funding requirements for the transition to sustainable growth and the implementation of sustainable development goals, in the context of the 2030 global targets. The report will be launched at AFED 11th annual conference on 8-9 November, in Beirut https://afed.me/2uyDiHO