Beirut: House of Representatives Takes Part in Arab Regional Parliamentary Forum on 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda

A delegation of the House of Representatives is taking part in the Arab Regional Parliamentary Forum on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, organized in Beirut, Lebanon, on November 29-30, 2022, by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in partnership with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).                                                                                      

The delegation of the House of Representatives involves:

- Rep. Nadia Touhami, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (Group of Progress and Socialism);

- Rep. Hassan Benomar, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (Group of the National Rally of Independents).

The agenda of this session includes the discussion of several vital questions with a view to following the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda in the Arab region, which lays essentially upon the role of parliaments in addressing climate change threats in the Arab region and increasing the advancement towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, the agenda also covers the role of national parliaments in curbing climate change impacts, protecting the most vulnerable groups, and promoting climate action in the Arab region.

In her intervention during the session devoted to the “Role of parliaments in building resilience and protecting the most vulnerable," the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Nadia Touhami, highlighted the importance of the Kingdom's engagement in the international instruments on climate change and its awareness of the threats to the future of humanity. The Deputy Speaker of the House also shed light on the best practices adopted by the Kingdom of Morocco in the areas related to climate, which aim to monitor and implement the Sustainable Development Goals, noting the role of the Royal social protection project in protecting vulnerable groups. 

On the same occasion, Rep. Nadia Touhami stressed the importance of working towards the consolidation of Arab cooperation in all its political, economic, food, energy, and environmental aspects, to resolve and end the various crises in the Arab region.

For his part, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Hassan Benomar, presented, during the third session devoted to “Global experiences in parliamentary action supporting climate mitigation," the headlines of the national strategies and policies related to water security and their role in mitigating climate change, producing renewable energies, and achieving energy security. 

The Deputy Speaker of the House also noted the significant responsibility entrusted to national parliaments in addressing the causes of climate change, mainly through achieving sustainable development, curbing climate imbalances, consolidating democratic and institutional construction, easing social cohesion, and mitigating social disparities. 

Additionally, Rep. Hassan Benomar called for cutting with all forms of wasteful and irresponsible exploitation of natural resources to reinforce water security, just as His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah glorify him, noted in his speech on the opening of the ongoing legislative year. 

It should be noted that the ESCWA, created in 1973, stimulates economic activity in its member States and consolidates cooperation, development, stability, and prosperity to achieve a better future for all humanity based on equality in rights and opportunities, and decent living, which would only be reached via sound economic growth, social welfare, and environmental sustainability.