Foreword

The present Report is offered as a contribution to the debate on development underway in the Arab region. Entitled the Arab Human Development Report 2009: Challenges to Human Security in the Arab Countries, it is a continuation of the wellknown Arab Human Development Report (AHDR) series that, since 2002, has brought together eminent scholars and advisers from the Arab region to conduct frank, realistic analyses of development challenges in the region. The first AHDR identified gaps in knowledge, freedom, and women’s empowerment as the three critical deficits, and the three follow-up reports analyzed each in depth and in turn. Their research and analysis resonated in Arab countries and around the world, providing a platform for policy dialogue and debate, and re-focusing the development agenda firmly on people’s well-being. The present Report is intended to sharpen this focus with a new and independent look at the region through the lens of human security.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Decent Work and Economic Growth

Reduced Inequalities