Rania Hedeia: Arab region needs nature-based solutions

Nature-based solutions need to be scaled up in the Arab region, Rania Hedaya, representative of the UN-Habitat Regional Bureau for Arab States, said at the event "Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Arab Cities" held within the framework of WUF13 in Baku, Report informs.

According to her, UN-Habitat is already implementing real projects in the region.

"These include combating sand and dust storms in Iraq and Kuwait, agrivoltaic systems in Jordan and Lebanon, rainwater harvesting, urban greening, and green corridors in Bahrain. The key challenge is the lack of documentation and knowledge about nature-based solutions in the region."

During the event, Hedaya presented the publication "Nature-Based Solutions in the Arab Region: A Compendium of Case Studies," prepared in partnership with the Islamic Development Bank.

"The compendium includes about 80 practical examples from the Arab region, demonstrating how nature-based solutions can be adapted to different contexts and scaled up.

We hope that this publication will help address some of the knowledge gaps - such a gap exists and it is significant. This publication will inform and support policy-making, as this is particularly lacking in our region, and will give momentum to future activities in the region. Thus, today's session is an opportunity to identify practical steps to strengthen cooperation and scale up nature-based solutions in the region," she emphasized.