The   Arab   Regional  Preparatory  Meeting  for  the  United  Nations
Conference  on  Sustainable  Development  (UNCSD  or Rio +20) (Cairo, 16-17
October  2011)  brought together representatives of Arab countries from the
economic,  social  and environmental spheres, as well as representatives of
civil society and major groups, to formulate recommendations on the Rio +20
objectives  and  themes,  in  view  of renewing the political commitment to
sustainable development.

The meeting offered a forum for deliberation and consensus building on
the  objectives  and  themes to be addressed at Rio+20. In particular, the
meeting   discussed   progress  achieved  and  gaps  in  implementing  the
Sustainable  Development Initiative in the Arab Region and the outcomes of
major  summits  on  sustainable  development;  new and emerging challenges
affecting  progress  towards  sustainable  development in the Arab region;
green  economy  opportunities and challenges facing the Arab region in the
context  of  sustainable  development  and  poverty  eradication;  and the
institutional framework for sustainable development in the Arab region.

The meeting adopted a set of recommendations, which were endorsed by
the 13th session of the Joint Committee on Environment and Development in
the Arab Region (JCEDAR) and submitted to the Council of Arab Ministers
Responsible for the Environment (CAMRE) for consideration in December 2011.
This meeting report will be submitted to the UNCSD Bureau as the
contribution of the Arab Regional Preparatory Meeting to the global
compilation document for Rio+20 and global preparations for Rio+20.