Virtual event

Date: 21 April 2022

Following the success of the first Arab-Japan Political Dialogue in September 2017, the League of Arab States (LAS) and the Government of Japan, in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), launched a series of Policy Roundtables in September 2019 aiming at establishing a policy dialogue platform to discuss common development priorities and concerns, and explore policies and solutions to support the Arab region. To date, the tripartite partnership has hosted six Policy Roundtables whose topics included: education and human development; socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis; digital transformation; sustainable reconstruction and infrastructure towards SDGs; and climate risks and water scarcity. The series has provided an effective platform to enhance constructive cooperation between Japan and the Arab League member states, by engaging UNDP as a co-host, to address multi-layered challenges in the region, particularly at the time of compounded challenges in the pandemic and post-pandemic context.

Building onto the successes of the previous meetings, the 7th LAS-Japan-UNDP Policy Roundtable will focus on peacebuilding and conflict prevention efforts in the Arab region, with a special attention to the role of regional and cross-regional partnership, and development to pave a way to sustainable peace and conflict prevention. Engagements in the field have confirmed the importance of applying regional and cross-border approaches as COVID-19, non-State armed groups, migration and forced displacement and climate-related security issues transcend boundaries. Similarly, inclusive and sustainable development, anchored in human rights, gender equality and leaving no one behind, is the best defense against violent conflict.

The Policy Roundtable will bring together policy makers, development experts, and other stakeholders from LAS, its member states, UN and Arab agencies, Japan and other international partners to assess what has been achieved and what lies ahead in peacebuilding and conflict prevention efforts in the region, and to exchange ideas and information on approaches that address both long-standing and new challenges, with focus on the following two themes: Potentials of broader partnership for peacebuilding and Building resilience through partnership on the ground

Around 60~80 participants will attend the event, including representatives from the LAS member states, the Government of Japan, UNDP and other UN and Arab agencies, providing a platform for policy discussion among these institutions, IFIs, private sector, academia, and think tanks active in the region.