ESCWA WEEKLY NEWS No. 50

Gender empowerment and entrepreneurial development in the rural context: the role of renewable energy

On 20 and 21 November, ESCWA held a national workshop on “Gender Empowerment and Entrepreneurial Development in the Rural Context: The Role of Renewable Energy” in Amman, under its Sida-funded REGEND Project and in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Jordan.

Representatives from Jordan’s Ministry of Agriculture, the European Union, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) participated in the workshop.

A series of recommendations were agreed, including on national collaboration on data collection and sharing; stakeholder cooperation and coordination; and capacity-building and awareness-raising to support policymakers in mainstreaming gender equality and adopting a human-rights approach.

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Regional workshop on data disaggregation for SDGs

ESCWA convened the regional workshop on data disaggregation for SDGs in Istanbul, Turkey, from 19 to 21 November 2019. The workshop was aimed at addressing data disaggregation requirements to fulfil the call to leave no one behind, through ensuring coverage of vulnerable groups such as migrant persons with disabilities.

For three days, participants from 10 countries discussed methods to enhance availability and analysis of disaggregated data to better inform policymakers and support them in formulating cost-effective and well-targeted policies. To leave no one behind starts with leaving no data behind.

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Digital governance in the Arab region

ESCWA contributed to a workshop organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS) in Cairo, on 20 and 21 November. The goal was to strengthen knowledge sharing among United Nations entities on digital governance in the Arab region. It was attended by United Nations and external experts, and partners from across the region and beyond.

Workshop discussions stressed on the need to upskill public sector officials to successfully implement the Sustainable Development Goals, including through enhancing digital governance. Participants pointed out the importance of updating legal frameworks in the Arab region to address ever-evolving cybersecurity challenges.

They urged Governments to collect data on digital services usage and on maturity to monitor progress, stressing the necessity of fostering openness, and citizen participation and engagement.
 

Experts group meeting on public-private partnership projects for ports

ESCWA and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) organized an expert group meeting on public-private partnership (PPP) projects for ports in Amman, on 23 and 24 November.

Experts from Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic attended the meeting, whose main objective was to strengthen the capacity of government officials and public-sector employees in the field of PPP contracts in ports. Special attention was paid to the preparation and drafting of PPP contracts, bidding and selection processes, and renegotiation and conflict resolution.

ESCWA will issue a report containing a summary of papers discussed at the meeting and of lessons learned, as well as recommendations for participating member States and others.

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Did you know...

… that 90% of the world’s population lived within reach of the internet in 2018? However, only just over 50%, and only about 20% in LDCs, could afford to use the internet.

In the Arab region, there are wide disparities in terms of Internet use, ranging from 22% of the population in Arab least developed countries to over 78% in countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

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