Outcome Document - Regional Meeting for Civil Society on Sustainable Development 2025
Outcome Document - Regional Meeting for Civil Society on Sustainable Development 2025
Introduction
From 2024 to 2025, one more year towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development timeline, we have been expecting more commitments to outcomes of the Summit of the Future, such as the Pact for the Future that covers a broad range of themes, including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations, and the transformation of global governance. Yet in practice, as of 2025, we witness a regression in the commitments toward justice, peace, and equality.
International law and the human rights norms and principles are not respected; they remain ineffective, with increasing discrimination, exclusion, and marginalization. The increasing assaults and crimes witnessed by the international community around the world—and particularly in our region—have become our daily struggle and reality. They clearly indicate that we have been going rather backwards towards commitments made by the international community. Inequalities and injustices between and within countries increase with the centralization of capital power among the few, leaving the majority behind. In 2024, the number of billionaires rose to 2,769, up from 2,565 in 2023. Their combined wealth surged from $13 trillion to $15 trillion in just 12 months, indicating that they are investing in—or benefiting from—crises to grow their wealth.
The development challenges we face are intensifying, exacerbated by entrenched political corruption. High impunity and high vulnerability due to lack of rule of law, lack of independence of the judiciary, and the absence of legal assistance should be addressed. Nevertheless, given the weak governance structures that enhance mutual accountability, inclusivity, and transparency, our efforts do not yield concrete results.
Since 2015—and even earlier—within the broader efforts to achieve sustainable development, the structural and systemic challenges we face have been well documented. The role of development actors, including civil society, is also widely recognized. At this critical moment, the only viable solution is to protect humanity by reviving hope.
The transformative action we call for must be grounded in the implementation of internationally agreed norms and principles, drawing on the lessons learned from past failures. The monopolistic concentration of power—fueling inequality, extremism, and organized control—can only be countered through collective voices, solidarity, and South-South cooperation.
Respect for diversity and the inclusion of all people, without any form of discrimination, must be at the heart of our efforts. Achieving this demands collaboration and sustained solidarity.
Organized ahead of the 2025 Arab Forum on Sustainable Development, the Regional Civil Society Forum on Sustainable Development brought together around 75 civil society representatives from XX countries. The participants elaborated and adopted a set of five key themes to be echoed in related advocacy forums throughout 2025. These include the High-Level Political Forum; the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), scheduled for 30 June to 3 July 2025; the Social Summit, taking place from 4 to 6 November 2025; and the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP30), to be held from 10 to 21 November 2025.
The forum emphasized the urgent need to mobilize civil society at the regional level and to strengthen its role in advocacy efforts—particularly in promoting an alternative development paradigm. This paradigm challenges the prevailing international order, which is characterized by power imbalances, systemic inequalities, and intensifying proxy wars. In contrast, it calls for a just, people-centered, and peace-driven global framework.
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