Prolonged conflicts and crises raise questions about the extent of commitment to achieving sustainable development in all their dimensions in the conflict-affected countries in the Arab world, especially in light of the absence of a national road map in such countries at a time when development paths are moving at an accelerated pace in the rest of the world. This discrepancy creates a development gap between the countries of the Arab region, and is expected to threaten and slowdown overall development efforts in all countries of the region, not only the conflict-affected ones.

On the sidelines of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), which has a central role in the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda, and which theme is “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels”, and is going to focus on SDGs 6, 7, 9, 11 and 17, Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights is releasing a study entitled “Burdens or solutions?... Sustainable Development in Conflict-Affected Arab Countries in Focus” in order to highlight the conditions of sustainable development in the conflict-affected Arab countries, specifically Yemen, Syria, Libya, Sudan, in light of the goals of concern to the Forum this year.