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Organized by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme in Dubai 6-8 October
The UAE, under the Patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will host the 3rd Arab Ministerial Forum on Housing and Urban Development 2019 with the participation of 22 Arab ministers, executives and key stakeholders from the private and public sector. This will form the largest Arab gathering and will convene to tackle the challenges facing the housing sector and to shape the future of urban development in the region.
Hosted in Al Habtoor City, Dubai from 7 to 8 October and organized by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and the Sheikh Zayed Housing Program, in collaboration with the Council of Arab Ministers of Housing and Reconstruction from the Arab League and the Regional Bureau for Arab States of the United Nations Organization for Human Settlements (UN-HABITAT), the ministerial forum will culminate in a declaration endorsed by 22 ministers of housing and infrastructure development who will pledge in making sustainable, high quality and safe housing in order to bolster regional economic integration and ensure a good quality of life for Arab citizens.
Over the course of three days, ministers of housing and infrastructure development and their technical committees will engage in high level discussions and networking sessions with the full spectrum of industry stakeholders including developers, architects, contractors and suppliers to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in the region; including urgent requirements for the $150 billion USD of housing projects to be delivered by 2030 across 22 countries, sustainable development standards for large scale housing developments and innovations to ensure safe and happy communities that withstand the needs future needs of our citizens.
His Excellency Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Chairman of the Sheikh Zayed Housing Program, commenting on hosting the Forum and its accompanying meetings, said: “The 3rd Arab Ministerial Forum on Housing and Urban Development aims to highlight the most important challenges in the housing sector and to discuss the latest developments in urban development for happiness and quality of life, sustainability in housing and urban development, as well as the role of the private sector and NGOs in supporting government housing projects”.
H.E. added :”The UAE is honored to host this important gathering in line with the Arab Vision for Housing and Sustainable Urban Development Agenda 2030, The UN-HABITAT Millennium Development Goals and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and on behalf of the Arab States, the Arab League and the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat). The United Arab Emirates is grateful for the unwavering support and insightful vision of our wise leadership and all those who are playing a role to support these goals. We hope to join hands to reach our future goals, achieve happiness and raise the standard of living for our people, and to further cooperate to enact appropriate laws and regulations to regulate the housing sector in accordance with international best practices.”
H.E. continued: “The Forum is an important platform to facilitate the objectives of an integrated Arab agenda to support the direction of the region in the development of a common vision and strengthen partnerships and ways of cooperation to achieve sustainable development for a better Arab future, that serve the aspirations of Arab citizens keen on the future, and achieve comprehensive growth and development in various areas of life, as well as their role in achieving happiness and raising the standard of living of our communities”.
H.E. also pointed out that the UAE government aims to achieve balanced sustainable development and provide a high quality of life for the people of the UAE, through the planning, construction and maintenance of federal infrastructure and housing projects across the UAE, in accordance with the highest international standards and specifications and optimal investment of technical and financial resources and in partnership with the relevant authorities, to achieve the UAE Vision 2021 and reach the 2071 Centennial.
H.E. concluded: “The importance of this forum, which the UAE’s wise leadership attaches to the UAE, lies in allowing the Arab region to deliberate on ways to advance urban development as a key to sustainable social development, as well as discussing current and emerging challenges and seeking solutions, to serve the general direction and achieve the hopes and aspirations of our Arab people and serve the Arab Strategy for Housing and Sustainable Urban Development 2030”.
The 3rd Arab Ministerial Forum on Housing and Urban Development is a regional and high-level interactive platform that brings together various stakeholders and is hosted by an Arab Nation every two years to discuss issues of housing and sustainable urban development. It is organized by the Council of Arab Ministers of Housing and Reconstruction at the Arab League with the participation of all Arab countries, represented by their relevant ministries and supporting organizations. This is held in partnership with the Regional Office for Arab States of the United Nations Organization for Human Settlements.
The forum is to host critical discussions and present new Arab visions, with the aim to find innovative solutions and effective mechanisms to overcome the current and future challenges of various urban, economic, social and environmental issues in the Arab world. The forum also aims to raise awareness on sustainable urban development, exchange experiences among Arab countries and showcase leading experiences to identify best practices in the development and follow-up of the implementation and evaluation of housing and urban development plans and programs, in order to promote regional integration and extract key issues and link them with international best-practices. The Forum is in line with the recommendations of international and Arab meetings in the field of housing and sustainable development.
The Forum seeks to follow up the implementation of the Arab Strategy for Housing and Sustainable Urban Development 2030 adopted by the 27th Arab Summit in Nouakchott and its implementation plan adopted by the 30th Arab Summit in Tunis, as a means to implement the new urban plan in the Arab world and make positive contributions to achieve the 11th UN Sustainable Development Goal 2030. On “Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” and other urban-related objectives.
On behalf of the Forum partners, we invite all stakeholders to participate in discussions on the future of technology in the sustainability of urban communities, the challenges and constraints facing the provision of sustainable housing in Arab countries, the role of legislation and regulations, and to create new benchmarks in urban planning for sustainable communities, to map the future of urban development.
For more information, please visit www.arabministerialhousingforum.com
