Doha, December 14 (QNA) - Under the patronage of HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, Qatar launched the 6th Arab Ministerial Forum on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development 2025, on Sunday.

HE Minister of Social Development and Family Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi opened the event which is being held under the slogan: "urban sustainability... for the future of generations."

Her Excellency emphasized Qatar's commitment to enhancing urban environments, improving quality of life, and promoting citizen well-being through modernized urban policies, upgraded community services, and sustainable, high-quality infrastructure.

Qatar focuses particularly on enhancing urban resilience, providing diverse housing options that meet citizens' needs, improving service quality, and aligning urban planning with the future of smart cities and digital transformation, the minister said.

Highlighting the broader regional context, Al Nuaimi noted the Arab world faces growing urban populations, expanding housing needs, infrastructure challenges, housing costs, climate change, and environmental sustainability issues. She stressed that addressing these challenges requires long-term urban planning that integrates social, economic, and environmental dimensions and relies on cooperation among governments, the private sector, and civil society.

The minister underscored the importance of investing in city rehabilitation, enhancing service efficiency, updating urban legislation, and creating attractive urban environments that balance growth with sustainable development. She described the forum as a pivotal platform for sharing expertise, showcasing successful initiatives, and fostering partnerships among experts, policymakers, planners, and international organizations.

Al Nuaimi expressed hope that discussions at the forum—covering urban planning, modern construction technologies, quality of life, and environmental sustainability—would help shape actionable strategies for cities across the Arab world. She stressed that the future of housing in the region depends on flexible, participatory policies, innovative solutions, digital transformation, and strengthened Arab cooperation through experience exchange and joint projects.

Welcoming participants, she emphasized that their presence reflects the Arab world's shared commitment to advancing housing and urban development, and thanked all delegations and organizing committees for their dedication, wishing that the forum's outcomes result in practical recommendations to guide the sector in the region.

For his part, HE Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Economic Affairs sector in the Arab League Ambassador Dr. Ali bin Ibrahim Al Malki, affirmed that the convening of the event is a step that clearly reflects the Qatari leadership's commitment to supporting housing and sustainable urban development issues in the Arab region.

It also underscores the strong will of the Council of Arab Ministers of Housing and Construction to ensure the continuity of this forum, the positive interaction of Arab states with this important event, and their full engagement in its activities, in order to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly Goal 11, which aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable, as well as to implement the executive plan of the Arab Strategy for Housing and Sustainable Urban Development.

In a speech delivered during the opening session, HE the Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Economic Affairs sector in the Arab League noted that the Arab world is currently facing rapidly evolving challenges, from economic transformations to urbanization and climate change, all of which necessitate the development of smarter, more efficient housing solutions that are better equipped to protect both people and the environment.

He emphasized that the forum's theme, "urban sustainability.. for the future of generations," underscores that the policies that are being developed today are not merely technical plans, but rather a genuine investment in the quality of life of Arab peoples for decades to come.

His Excellency further pointed out that housing issues are no longer separate from the development process, highlighting that the move towards smart housing has become a cornerstone for creating an urban environment capable of accommodating population growth, managing resources efficiently, and enhancing the quality of services through technological solutions that provide a more comfortable and sustainable life for citizens. He stressed that providing adequate housing remains a fundamental pillar for achieving social justice.

He stressed the importance of adopting new approaches to reconstruction based on resilience and sustainability, aiming to rebuild communities in a way that considers citizens' needs, enhances their resilience, and transforms challenges into opportunities for developing safer and more efficient built environments.

In a related context, Ambassador Dr. Ali bin Ibrahim Al Malki highlighted that the forum is being held amid complex international and regional circumstances, particularly the tragedy endured by the brotherly Palestinian people, the massive destruction inflicted on the Gaza Strip, and the grave massacres committed against its population by the occupation's brutal war machine.

His Excellency noted that despite the ceasefire agreement, the situation remains extremely dire, expressing hope for the continued and unhindered entry of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza on a sustained basis, stressing that this constitutes a moral and humanitarian responsibility of the international community.

He explained that localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) means effectively adapting these goals to suit the local situation and needs of a particular region. In this regard, he reviewed several methods and means by which the SDGs can be localized and achieved, including disaster response, resilience building, and addressing related challenges.

His Excellency stated that the Arab region is not immune to global developments in this regard, underscoring the importance of convening the forum, which will enable participants to review the state of Arab cities, the problems they face, and the challenges resulting from increasing climate impacts, heightened risks, natural and human-made disasters, as well as epidemics and diseases. These issues, he said, require identifying their root causes, anticipating future trends, and assessing their direct and indirect impacts on Arab cities.

He added that achieving this can only be realized through a realistic and comprehensive assessment that enables the development of practical and objective solutions and approaches, while taking into account monitoring indicators, follow-up mechanisms, and implementation tools, in order to keep pace with the growing demand for basic services, infrastructure, employment opportunities, access to adequate housing, and balancing resources with aspirations. This, he stressed, requires reliance on the Arab countries' own capacities, strengthening cooperation among them, sharing resources and ideas, and fostering a collective spirit to confront these challenges through new and innovative visions for sustainable urban development.

Dr. Al Malki affirmed that the forum provides a platform for all of the above, expressing confidence that the experts, specialists, and decision-makers participating will be able to reach a unified and comprehensive vision for developing urban development policies and formulating sustainable programs and plans that can be implemented on the ground, as well as exploring innovative and effective financing mechanisms that require the engagement of all stakeholders during implementation, monitoring, and follow-up.

His Excellency noted that the forum's various sessions address critically important themes that contribute to shaping a new Arab vision for urban development, calling for the State of Qatar to serve as a starting point toward Arab cities capable of localizing the Sustainable Development Goals in support of reconstruction and disaster response.

Regional Director of UN-Habitat for the Arab States, Rania Hedaya, affirmed the office's commitment to supporting Arab efforts in housing and sustainable urban development.

In her opening address, Hedaya emphasized that all topics discussed under the forum's theme will have lasting impacts on future generations, in addition to positively influencing Arab countries' ability to develop more equitable, resilient, and sustainable cities.

She highlighted that adequate housing is a cornerstone of stability, social integration, and human dignity, as underscored by the political declaration of the Second World Summit for Social Development held recently in Doha. The declaration reinforced adequate housing as a fundamental social right and a social infrastructure that supports health, education, and employment opportunities.

Hedaya noted that the forum comes at a challenging time for the Arab region, amid intersecting demographic shifts, rapid urban expansion, prolonged crises, natural hazards, and other challenges affecting cities and urban areas. These factors result in significant damage to housing, infrastructure, and services, as well as large-scale displacement from conflict-affected or hazardous areas to safer locations, further complicating the region's urban challenges.

She added that over the past three decades, the population of the Arab region has doubled to around 500 million in 2023, representing about 6 percent of the global population, and is expected to reach one billion by 2060. Despite these pressures, Arab states have made significant progress in implementing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, particularly Goal 11, which aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

The three-day forum began with a high-level opening session attended by Arab ministers, followed by key sessions on the future of housing policies in the Arab region, the role of urban planning in building resilient and sustainable cities, enhancing regional cooperation in housing and urban development, and innovations to meet future housing demands.

The second day features specialized sessions and in-depth workshops on smart cities and digital transformation, post-crisis reconstruction strategies, affordable housing models, sustainable urban environments, and mechanisms to enhance urban inclusivity.

The third day focuses on partnerships and future initiatives, discussing the role of international and regional organizations in supporting housing policies, urban project financing mechanisms, and modern approaches to improving urban quality of life. The forum will conclude with joint recommendations and an Arab roadmap for sustainable urban development.

A specialized exhibition runs alongside the forum, showcasing government entities, private sector companies, and leading institutions in urban development. It highlights innovative urban projects, smart city solutions, green building technologies, energy efficiency, and national initiatives to improve urban quality of life.

Qatar's hosting of the forum reflects its commitment to advancing urban and social development in the region, strengthening Arab cooperation, and highlighting its pioneering experience in social and urban development, as well as successful models in empowering individuals and building more inclusive and prosperous cities.

The forum serves as a central Arab platform to foster cooperation, exchange expertise, build effective partnerships in housing and urban development, and contribute to shaping future-oriented, innovative, and sustainable urban strategies that enhance the quality of life for Arab communities and generations to come. (QNA)