Dubai: A recent report on sustainability, based on interviews with 1,800 Arab government officials, makes a number of recommendations to the region's leaders, including the necessity of creating smart cities, promoting green financing, utilising the resources of the private sector to the fullest extent possible, and increasing public awareness of sustainability-related issues.

The report, titled "Sustainability and Government Action: Arab Government Situation," was created by the UAE, which will be hosting the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference in 2023, and the Arab Administrative Development Organisation of the Arab League. The "Forum of Sustainability and Government Action" in Cairo is where it was unveiled, according to a report from the Emirates News Agency on Monday.

The forum's keynote speaker, Sultan Al-Jaber, the COP28 president-elect, said that governments must work with regional and international organisations to develop practical plans that will enable the world to achieve its climate goals.

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"The report supports our focus during COP28 on enhancing the efforts to achieve a significant shift in climate action," Al-Jaber stated. From November 30 to December 12 in Dubai, the UAE will host COP28.

In her keynote address to the forum in Cairo, Ohood Al-Roumi, the Emirati minister of state for government development and the future, emphasised the significance of creating policies and laws that support a sustainable green transformation as well as the need for public-private partnerships to help achieve climate neutrality.

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According to her, the recently released report will support Arab governments' initiatives to boost sustainability and combat climate change, as well as other related social and economic problems.

The minister also emphasised the report's suggested ways to increase long-term economic growth, such as the creation of proactive climate policies and initiatives and the requirement for adaptability in the face of environmental regulations.

In line with the UAE's Year of Sustainability and its preparations for hosting COP28, Al-Roumi claimed that the report reflects the Emirati government's efforts to combat climate change and its dedication to long-term solutions to environmental problems.

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The release of the report, according to Nasser Al-Hatlan Al-Qahtani, director-general of the Arab Administrative Development Organisation, also presents a chance to gauge how prepared Arab governments are to address climate change challenges and seize opportunities in the green economy.