This year's Arab Population and Development Day comes just five years before 2030—the global deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), driven by the unwavering commitment to ensure that "no one is left behind." This pledge embodies a determined effort to bring about profound global transformation by embracing the concept of comprehensive and equitable sustainable development for all, without discrimination or bias, and by empowering people to be partners rather than mere beneficiaries in this endeavour. Building a sustainable future is a shared responsibility that spans every sector worldwide—from policymakers and the business community to civil society and individual citizens.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 1994 Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) are founded on the principle that "people are the core and heart of development—people-centred and aimed at achieving quality of life through rights-based approaches that respect individual human rights." These are not simply political or moral commitments, but sound economic choices that go hand in hand with efforts to achieve lasting peace, shared prosperity, and sustainable progress for both people and the planet.
However, all these global visions and the gains achieved—aimed at improving human well-being and advancing global peace and security—remain hostage to escalating geopolitical tensions, armed conflicts, and the brutal practices of occupation in the occupied Arab territories. This situation sounds the alarm and casts a shadow over the final five-year stretch, threatening further escalation and the potential outbreak of large-scale wars. Such developments will hinder countries' ability to pursue development goals and may compel many to divert resources from development to security and military spending, ultimately undermining political commitment to the requirements of this global vision.
Now is the time for all of us to stand together and unite our efforts globally to safeguard the progress achieved by investing in peace, preserving lives, and ending bloodshed. How can societies build a prosperous future while losing their promising youth, doctors, and engineers? How can economies function when institutions are destroyed and the workforce is dispersed? Human capital is the true engine of development and the indispensable foundation of sustainability. Its depletion sets societies back by decades.
Development, security, and stability are inseparable. There can be no development without genuine stability, and no genuine stability without investing in peace and upholding the value of human life. The growth we seek is both a means and an end for humankind, achievable only through investment in people—through education, health, food, clothing, culture, and awareness.
