The Arab States countries comprise a dynamic and developing region, undergoing significant social, political, and economic changes. These changes provide an opportunity to progress human development for the good of all, leading to more legitimate governance, more effective services, wider implementation of human rights, and more open and equitable economies.

They also come with risks of future violent conflicts, as change processes entail a clash of interests and values, or as reforms are insufficient to meet the social pressures created by climate change and shifting demographics. 

The Arab states region has also seen substantial human suffering due to war, civil conflict, and their resulting wide-ranging humanitarian crises. Experiences of instability in some Arab States have not only negatively impacted people’s living standards and human security, but in some cases have also reversed overall development gains. Instability does not end at a nation’s borders, but rather reduces resilience to conflict across the region. It is telling that, while the region makes up only 5 percent of the global population, it hosts 30 percent of the world’s internally displaced persons, and 43 percent of its refugees.

Those supporting development in the Arab States Region are hence faced by three key fundamental questions. How can we support the change processes so essential for human development, while also avoiding new violent conflict? How can we maintain development gains during violent conflict, help early recovery from them, and reduce the likelihood of returns to violence? And, how can we work consistently to prevent violence across the diversity of economic, political, and social situations in Arab States?

This Framework, Development as a Pathway for Conflict Prevention and Recovery, provides some answers to these questions, outlining how UNDP is supporting conflict prevention and recovery using its development toolkit and unique positioning in the Arab States Region.