Amid growing concerns in the region about serious challenges—hunger, armed conflict, environmental degradation, human rights, and more—Arab leaders gathered in Cairo, Egypt last month to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Arab Sustainable Development Week, held from  19-22 November, focused on the Arab region’s efforts to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals by  2030.

More than 120 diplomats, government officials, representatives of regional and international organizations, businesses, and academics attended the event. Speakers included Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit and Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, among a number of other leaders in the Arab region.

The high-level conference was the first time the Baha’i community had an official presence at a space convened by the Arab League, a regional organization comprising  some 20 countries from North Africa and the Middle East.

“The participants in this meeting took ownership of the question of sustainable development as their agenda, and there was a conscious effort to make sure all took part,” said Solomon Belay, Representative of the Baha’i International Community (BIC) who attended the meeting.

Dr. Belay was joined by Shahnaz Jaberi from Bahrain and Hatem El-Hady from Egypt.

“It was significant that the Baha’i community participated in such a forum where leaders of Arab states and regional spokespersons were coalescing around the critical issue of sustainable development,” explained Mr. El-Hady.

The representatives noted the participants’ heightened consciousness and insights about the SDGs as they related to the specific challenges in the region. The statement, Summoning Our Common Will: A Baha’i Contribution to the United Nations Global Development Agenda, was distributed at the event.

Recognizing that the summit was a great step forward in the region, Ms. Jaberi highlighted the need to broaden the conversation: “It seems that the focus needs to go beyond technological and economic advancement. We underscored the importance of moral values and spiritual insights in our conversations throughout the event.”

An original version of this story appeared on the Baha’i World News Service.