 |
| |
|
|
|
Enhancing integrated national development planning in Tunisia
As part of efforts to improve planning processes to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 in the Arab region, ESCWA held on 29 and 30 October a workshop on “Enhancing integrated national development planning in Tunisia”.
The workshop was aimed at building the capacity of planning stakeholders in the different techniques and methodologies of integrated planning, through sharing success stories and lessons learned.
Participants discussed in breakout sessions the current state of planning in Tunisia. They identified key levers to improve the effectiveness of future planning processes.
Read more
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
Digital transformation in the public sector in Qatar
On 30 and 31 October, ESCWA held a national workshop in Doha to discuss best practices in digital government transformation strategies, in response to a request from the Ministry of Transport and Communication (MoTC).
Participants stressed the importance of providing public services through electronic channels to contribute to social and economic development, and the need to upgrade the expertise and skills of public sector employees to contribute effectively to the implementation of digital transformation strategies.
They also underlined that providing the appropriate open data ecosystem was a prerequisite to successful digital transformation.
Read more
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Improving disability statistics in Arab countries
In Amman, ESCWA organized a workshop on disability statistics for the Arab region from 29 to 31 October, in collaboration with the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics (AITRS), the Washington Group on Disability Statistics and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
ESCWA stressed that coordination among various stakeholders was essential to improve production and quality of disability statistics.
The workshop was attended by 14 participants representing statistical agencies and centres working on disability in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, the State of Palestine, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic and Tunisia, as well as the Higher Council for the Rights of People with Disabilities in Jordan.
Read more
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
Advancing women’s rights in the Sudan
In the Sudan, women’s organizations have intensified their efforts to engage in the transitional process and advocate for the realization of the important advances in women’s rights set out in the constitutional document of 17 August 2019.
ESCWA held a workshop from 22 to 24 October with 36 women leaders to identify key issues and priorities as well as options to advance those new gains. Representatives from Jordan, Iraq, Morocco, India and Ukraine also shared experiences and lessons learned from their own contexts.
ESCWA has been working with UN Women in the Sudan and national counterparts to support women’s organizations in developing a common vision on how to implement the provisions of the constitutional document and transform legislative gains into a reality on the ground.
Read more
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Role of renewable energy in empowering rural women
Within the framework of the Sida-funded REGEND Project, and in partnership with the National Agency for Energy Management (ANME), ESCWA held in Tunis on 22 and 23 October a national workshop on the role of renewable energy in women’s empowerment and entrepreneurial development in the rural context.
The workshop allowed participants to share empowerment experiences and initiatives related to renewable energy from the country and beyond. Discussions covered current challenges, lessons learned from previous experiences and projects, and the recommended solutions and suggestions to go forward.
Participants made recommendations in various areas, including collecting and disseminating data, and the need for coordination, capacity-building and awareness raising. They also agreed on the importance of mainstreaming gender in renewable energy projects and adopting a rights-based approach to local development.
Read more
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
Risk assessment framework for the Arab region
On 17 and 18 October, ESCWA organized a meeting in Beirut on “Developing a risk assessment framework in the Arab region”, in partnership with the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), the UNDP Regional Hub for Arab States and the United Nations Department of Peacebuilding and Political Affairs.
Experts from academic institutions, think tanks and United Nations entities operating in fields such as governance, poverty, economics, climate change and water scarcity, peacebuilding and peacekeeping, humanitarian affairs, and politics and security, attended the meeting.
Participants affirmed that the drivers of risk were multidimensional and interconnected, cutting across areas such as climate change, demography, urbanization, economy, migration, and natural resource exploitation.
Read more
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Better measuring of violence against women in the Arab region
In many Arab countries, there remains a lack of data on the prevalence of violence against women. ESCWA and partners gathered to examine means to better measure this phenomenon in line with globally agreed methodological and ethical standards.
The meeting, held in Cairo from 15 to 17 October in partnership with UN Women and the World Health Organization (WHO), brought together experts from statistical offices, women’s ministries and women's machineries from Arab States to improve the prevention of, and response to, violence against women and girls.
There has been an increasing interest in Arab countries in conducting specialized prevalence surveys on violence against women, as part of broader efforts to mainstream gender in their national statistical systems and frameworks.
Read more
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
ESCWA partakes in several regional and international events
Over the past two weeks, staff members from ESCWA participated in regional and international events on climate change and food security, the environment, green economy, and water.
On the sidelines of the 46th session of the Committee on World Food Security in Rome, ESCWA organized on 15 October a meeting on “Informed decision-making on Arab food security in the context of climate change,” in collaboration with FAO and AOAD.
In Cairo, from 20 to 24 October, ESCWA took part in the 21st session of the Joint Committee on Environment and Development (JCEDAR) and the 31st session of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment (CAMRE) of the League of Arab States (LAS). It also participated in the Cairo Water Week 2019.
In Dubai, on 20 and 21 October, ESCWA attended the 2019 Global Ministerial Conference on Green Economy, which discussed facilitating the transition to low greenhouse gas emissions and climate resilient economies and societies.
Read more
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Did you know...
… that more people are using electricity than ever before? Nearly 9 out of 10 people now have access to electricity. Energy efficiency continues to improve, and renewable energy is making impressive gains in the electricity sector. But three billion people still lack clean cooking fuels and technologies, putting at risk their health and the environment.
Access to electricity is close to universal in Arab cities, but many countries continue to experience service disruptions and power outages. While interest in renewable energy is increasing, it only accounts for some 4% of total final energy consumption, well under the world average.
Photo credit: Mansour Mohsen, Saudi Arabia
Read more
|
|
| |
|
|
|
