Since 2008, AFED annual reports on the state of Arab environment have highlighted environmental challenges and recommended solutions. One main challenge underlined in all reports was how to finance the recommended changes. AFED's 2011 report on Green Economy in a Changing Arab World introduced the concept at the regional level. However, the endorsement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, combined with the provisions of the Paris climate agreement which followed in the same year, demand a new perspective to identify the requirements of financing sustainable development.
AFED's first annual report in 2008, entitled Arab Environment: Future Challenges, became a major reference in its field and was the launching pad for the reports which followed, covering nine topics: Climate Change (2009), Water (2010), Green Economy (2011), Ecological Footprint (2012), Sustainable Energy (2013), Food Security (2014), Sustainable Consumption (2015), Sustainable Development in a Changing Arab Climate (2016) and Arab Environment in 10 Years (2017).