Strong partnerships are key to the achievement of the potential of the Arab States: a dynamic yet turbulent region. This report is focused on the vital importance of one such partnership in the region – the development alliance between the Government of Japan and UNDP. Japan is one of the strongest partners for UNDP globally and in every region; it is perhaps in the region.

Showing the fruits of Japan and UNDP’s cooperation in the Arab States region from 2015 to early 2018, this report provides a snapshot of results of a partnership that is becoming ever more strategic in nature. With time, our partnership is solidifying more and more clearly around important principles, such as human security, an agenda which Japan leads globally; humanitrian-development nexus, which Japan has also helped develop at the international level; the importance of taking a medium-and-longer term approach even in situations of crisis; the primacy of investing in youth and women; the urgency of climate action and environmental sustainability; and the significance of engaging the private sector and NGOs locally and indeed in partnership with Japanese counterparts.