Blogs

Submission Guidelines

The ADP Blog is an open platform for practitioners and researchers working on development issues in Arab countries. The ADP welcomes blogs in Arabic, English and French.

Interested contributors are encouraged to submit their blog entries (word format, up to 700 words) by e-mail [email protected], mentioning/including the following:

1Title of the blog

2Name of the author

3Link to source, if previously published

4Photos (if any – up to 500KB)

5Translated version of your blog (if available)

Please note that we reserve the right to introduce minimal edits to the submitted article to enhance the clarity of the text. Major edits will be shared with the contributors ahead of publishing.

Done

Send us your blog

An Interview with Qatar Planning and Statistics Authority on the SDGs Environment Related Indicators

17 Sep 2019

This blog is part of a series of blogs that the Arab Development Portal is conducting with the Arab National Statistical Offices to provide updates on the reforms and plans taking place at the NSOs. The environmental sector is particularly important in the Arab region due to the pressing environmental challenges the region witnesses. In fact, the Arab region continues to face critical environmental threats such as desertification, water scarcity, land degradation and low efficiency of natural resource usage. The average annual precipitation ranges from low levels as in...Read More
How to measure the Digital Transformation in the Arab Countries

Safa Mostafa, 28 Feb 2019

Digital transition is reshaping economies and societies. The ongoing digitalization of the economy show a lot of promise to stimulate innovation, generate efficiencies, and ameliorate services throughout the economy. It became a necessary condition for inclusive and sustainable growth and the overall well-being.[1] Defining “Digital Economy” is sometimes narrowly scoped as online platforms and their inherent activities, yet, in a broad sense, all activities that use digitized data are part of the digital economy. Thus, in modern economies, the digital economy...Read More
Jordan’s Water Scarcity and Red Sea–Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project

Therese El Gemayel, 27 Nov 2018

Jordan is characterized by an arid climate and limited natural water resources. Yearly freshwater resources amounted to 780 mcm1 and dams’ capacity amounted to 325 mcm in 2015. To complement the withdrawal of surface and groundwater, the country relies on the treatment of wastewater and desalination (Jordan’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation). Jordan faces significant obstacles addressing the water demand of its population that increased by 42 percent over the last decade (World Population Prospects). The consumption of water is largely absorbed by...Read More
Morocco: Home to the World’s Largest Concentrated Solar Plant by 2020

Therese El Gemayel, 20 Sep 2018

Morocco relies heavily on the import of energy products, reaching 19.3 Mtoe[1] in 2015, to address its energy needs. In 2015, most of the total primary energy supply originated from imports of the various energy products. The country dependence on renewable energy amounts to 8.9 percent of total energy demand. Renewable energy sources in Morocco include biofuels and waste (78%), geothermal, solar and wind (12%) and hydropower (9%) (International Energy Agency). Morocco has been generating electricity from hydropower since 1929 and from wind energy since 2000. In 2009,...Read More
Renewables are Key to Lebanon’s Sustainable Energy Mix Planning

ALI AHMAD, 22 Jun 2018

Renewable energy should be a centerpiece of the plans to improve Lebanon’s energy system rather than an add-on. At a time when some countries have already achieved close to 100% renewable energy penetration, Lebanon has set its sights on just 12% renewable energy generation by 2020-2030[1], a target that is both unambitious and financially short-sighted. Additionally, it ignores the ideal conditions for renewable energy generation in Lebanon. Lebanese policymakers certainly face an unenviable task when it comes to energy planning. With the current state of...Read More
Egypt and the Emerging African Continental Free Trade Area

AHMED GHONEIM, 18 May 2018

On March 21st, the members of 44 African nations, out of a total of 55 African nations, signed the African Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) signaling the birth of the largest FTA in the world. The CFTA is still at its infancy, where the number of its legal instruments (protocols, annexes, etc) are still under negotiation, not to mention that it still needs to be approved by at least 22 nations. However, would such an agreement prove beneficial for Egypt, and on which fronts? There are several aspects that need to be considered when answering such question, and it is...Read More
The Petroleum Legislative Framework for Lebanon

Talal F. Salman, 27 Mar 2018

Now is the time Now that Lebanon has signed the first two exploration and production agreements (EPAs) for offshore oil and gas, companies will prepare the groundwork to start drilling at the beginning of 2019. This achievement is a long time coming. The first oil-related legislation, the Offshore Petroleum Resources Law, was enacted in 2010; the sector’s regulator, the Lebanese Petroleum Administration, started operating back in 2012; the block delineation and the model EPA were enacted as decrees in January 2017, almost four years after they were first...Read More