ESCWA is organizing the 2026 SDG 16 Conference on “Governance Futures in the Arab Region” in partnership with Mohammed 6 Polyethnic University. Building on the success of the 2025 inaugural edition, the event addresses major governance challenges in the Arab region, including digital disruption, artificial intelligence, conflict, climate pressures, and changing social contracts.
Discussions focus on the tensions shaping governance futures in the region, from balancing technological innovation with national policy sovereignty to promoting resilience while addressing structural inequality. The conference also examines governance transformation, social contract renewal, crisis governance, ethics, accountability, and global governance dynamics. It considers how digital tools and emerging technologies can either reduce or deepen fragility, especially in conflict-affected and low-capacity settings.
The conference explores innovative governance models that respond to interconnected crises such as displacement, food and water insecurity, and climate-related conflict. It brings together policymakers, academics, experts, and regional stakeholders to advance practical, inclusive solutions that strengthen trust and institutional legitimacy. Through policy dialogue and multidisciplinary exchange, they help shape context-sensitive pathways for more adaptive, participatory, and ethical governance across the Arab region. The event also contributes to concrete outcomes, including draft chapters for the Arab Governance Report, thematic policy briefs, and a research agenda for future policy and knowledge gaps.
Meeting outcome 
SDG 16 outcome elements
- Validated Chapter I Framework: An annotated copy of Chapter I with expert feedback, data corrections, and validated analytical framing regarding structural constraints and crises.
- Validated Chapter II Scenarios: A finalized set of risk matrices and scenario narratives for crisis governance, incorporating expert input on fiscal resilience and anticipatory governance.
- Country-Specific Case Notes (Session III): A collection of documented country experiences and "analytical gaps" identified by the experts regarding service delivery disparities.
- Revised Chapter III Outline (Part I): A revised structure or bullet-point list for the service delivery section, incorporating feedback on effective governance and territorial disparities
- Session IV Annotated Bibliography/Glossary: A list of key terms (e.g., AI Governance, Digital Identity) defined and contextualized for the Arab region, along with notes on risks of exclusion.
- Draft Institutional Roadmap: A preliminary list of institutional innovation models and skills frameworks (Civil Service/Integrity) identified as high-priority for the region.
- Validated Policy Recommendation Matrix (Chapter V): A prioritized table matching specific policy levers (short-term) with long-term governance goals, with levels of consensus noted.
- Revised Report Structure & "Way Forward" Plan: An updated table of contents for AGR VI and a clear project plan for the finalization of the report (assignments, deadlines, review cycles).
- Shared Regional Diagnosis: Consensus among participating experts on the specific nature of the "crisis convergence" (political, economic, environmental, social) and its impacts on Arab state institutions.
- Reframing of "Resilience": A shift from resilience as "bouncing back" to "anticipatory governance" (bouncing forward), with a clear understanding of the fiscal tools required to achieve it.
- Contextualized Trust Metrics: Agreement on the key drivers of trust building in public institutions, linking service delivery effectiveness directly to state capacity.
- Identification of Structural Gaps: A clear articulation of the disconnect between "user-centric" rhetoric and the reality of territorial/social disparities in the region.
- Digital Governance Balance: A nuanced understanding that digital transformation and AI driven governance must simultaneously address efficiency, inclusion, and the risk of surveillance/fragmentation, rather than viewing tech as a silver bullet.
- Institutional Capacity Redefined: Agreement that "adaptive capacity" (leadership and skills) is more critical than rigid institutional structures for future state capacity.
- Reform Sequencing: A validated strategic pathway that aligns short-term political/economic pressures with long-term governance modernization (e.g., how to use immediate crises to push through structural procurement or civil service reforms).
- Ownership of Recommendations: ensuring the final report reflects regional realities rather than external templates.
The overarching outcomes:
Validation: The core narrative of the AGR VI report (chapters I–V) is validated by regional experts.
Strategic Alignment: A collective understanding that governance transformation is not about isolated reforms, but about building a resilient, adaptive, and inclusive public institutions fit for the uncertainties of the next decade and the era of great transformations.
Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic
