A senior UN official said at a Friends of Europe Development Policy Forum yesterday that ‘the UN is winning’ in its efforts to foster human development in the Arab world, but warned that the challenges ahead were considerable as conditions deteriorated across the region.

Amat Al Alim Alsoswa, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Director of its Regional Bureau for Arab States, was speaking to some 200 senior diplomats, government officials and journalists at a conference entitled 'Human security in the Arab world: Defining a role for Europe' in the Bibliothèque Solvay in Brussels.

Ms Alsoswa specifically pointed out improvement in prospects for women, stating ‘There are a lot more women reaching high levels of participation in politics, business and the professions’. Ms Alsoswa was herself the first woman to hold the post of Minister for Human Rights in the Yemen from 2003 to 2006.

Europe’s role was explained by Tomás Duplá del Moral, the European Commission’s Director for Middle East and South Mediterranean at DG External Relations. In response to a question from moderator Giles Merritt, Mr del Moral confirmed that the Commission would be allocating around 3 billion euros in development funds over the next three years to the region, which has a population of some 400 million. However, Mr del Moral cautioned ‘We will not solve the issues with money alone - reforms have to come from within’.

Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Director for Middle East and North Africa pointed out that political radicalisation in parts of the region was a reaction to poverty and lack of development, and not a cause of it as is more commonly supposed. Commenting on his own organisation’s work, he said that in the past its focus had been too much on political rights, and it was now clear that ensuring human rights was a prerequisite of obtaining political and civil rights.

For more information, or to receive a copy of the DPF’s proceedings, Human security in the Arab world: Defining a role for Europe please contact Friends of Europe Communications Manager James Kevin Mac Goris (jameskevin.macgoris@friendsofeurope.org, +32 (0)2 739 1573);