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This report presents the proceedings and outcomes of the Arab States Regional High-Level Workshop on “Nature-based Solutions for hydro-meteorological hazards” hosted online by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Regional Bureau for Sciences in the Arab States and UNESCO’s Section on Earth Sciences and Geo-Hazards Risk Reduction on November 23-24, 2021. The meeting was co-organized with experts from University of Bologna (Italy) and other consortium members of the EU-funded OPERANDUM project.

25 representatives from 7 Arab countries participated in the meeting, including government officials, senior scientists and academics, decision-makers, private sector and consultants. In addition, several OPERANDUM partners joined the workshop, including coordinators of the case studies in Italy and Greece.

The overall purpose of the meeting was to bring together experts in disaster risk reduction and environmental management to exchange views, experiences and lessons regarding Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for disaster risk reduction across the Arab Region, and to identify needs and priorities for promoting NbS uptake. During the workshop, participants presented national and regional experiences, focusing on the ongoing efforts, gaps and challenges related to NbS for disaster risk management.

OPERANDUM partners shared experiences, challenges and solutions as part of the NbS co-creation process at Open-Air Laboratories in the Mediterranean region and engaged in discussions with regional experts on the potential of upscaling concepts and solutions. The outcomes of the discussions will be used to develop a shared roadmap for the increased and sustainable uptake of NbS for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the Arab Region. The roadmap will enhance and provide practical guidance for the implementation of NbS through a series of recommendations tailored to the regional context.