Arab stakeholder groups strengthen partnerships to advance disaster-risk reduction across the Arab region
As disaster risks become increasingly interconnected, governments cannot achieve resilience without the active participation of civil society, science and technology institutions, youth, women, the private sector, the media, humanitarian organizations and local communities. Inclusive stakeholder engagement helps bring different forms of knowledge and expertise into decision-making while strengthening ownership, accountability and implementation at regional, national and local levels.
The UNDRR Regional Office for Arab States organized a virtual coordination meeting on 2 July 2026, bringing together representatives of Arab stakeholder groups for disaster-risk reduction. Participants included the Arab Private Sector Stakeholder Group through ARISE Egypt, the Arab Science and Technology Advisory Group, the Arab Civil Society Major Group, the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Group on Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change and Migration, the Arab Youth Advisory Group, the Media Stakeholder Group and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
The meeting enabled stakeholders to review progress following the 2025 Arab Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction and align their activities with the UNDRR Regional Work Programme 2026–2030 and the Arab Priority Action Plan 2025–2027. Discussions covered risk knowledge, early warning systems, governance, urban resilience, disaster-risk financing, recovery, innovation, communications and private-sector engagement. Participants considered how each constituency could contribute its comparative strengths while collaborating across stakeholder groups.
The programme also introduced the Global Sendai Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism and the updated process for registering Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments. Participants explored how regional organizations could contribute to global policy discussions, share good practices, strengthen accountability and transform individual commitments into collaborative regional action. The meeting concluded with preparations for forthcoming regional milestones and a renewed commitment to ensuring that the priorities and experiences of Arab stakeholders contribute meaningfully to regional and global implementation of the Sendai Framework.