Disentangling the SDGs agenda in the GCC region: Priority targets and core areas for environmental action

Abstract

The agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a key international outcome for guiding development efforts of nation states. However, SDG targets cover vast areas of action, and they are difficult to break down and monitor for countries with different developmental situations and needs. Often, global rankings of countries’ compliance with the SDG agenda are plagued with false signals and methodological limitations. This paper presents a much-needed prioritization of the SDG targets for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. It maps SDG targets and outlines priorities and key areas for environmental action. Sustainability in resource use, consumption and production constitutes a primary area for investments. Education and awareness represent cross-cutting priorities and low-hanging fruit for action. Tackling climate change and emerging supply risks and the management of ecosystems represent an action area in which GCC governments can intensify their interventions. As a supporting policy, regional environmental cooperation is important for enhanced commitments and tackling transboundary aspects of the SDG agenda. The analysis of the SDG agenda in the GCC regions reiterates the importance of countries engaging with global sustainability framings in order work out their own interpretations in congruence with national development realities. Such an SDG regional mapping exercise also assists national-level planners or regional bodies working on development issues in shaping the Gulf region’s engagement with the global sustainability agenda and tracking progress on key SDG priorities.

Setting a shared development agenda: prioritizing the sustainable development goals in the Dominican Republic with fuzzy-LMAW

“…Several factors make the prioritization of the SDGs and targets especially difficult. First, the Agenda is multisectoral 12 . Second, its implementation should occur at different geographical and institutional levels 13 .…”

Revitalising the Coastal Landscape of Qatar: The Urban Renewal Approach in Westbay

“…This development often takes the form of highways, airports and residential neighbourhoods with major transportation facilities, which often are not directly conducive to sustainable living as they are not used by people to live, work, play or engage with the environment [7,8]. A truly sustainable urban development would be one where people use the reclaimed land for high-density living, where one would expect high-quality housing in a highquality public realm, where residents can easily access all the amenities by walking or cycling, and where there is sufficient space for recreational purposes, particularly those associated with the shoreline, benefiting from improved access to the water body as a result of reclamation [9,10]. Qatar, one of the fast-growing economies in the GCC commonly employs land reclamation as one of the key planning approaches to develop world-class projects on high-value land [11,12].…”