ESCWA WEEKLY NEWS No. 27

10 June 2019



	World Environment Day On 7 June, ESCWA marked World Environment Day focused this year on “air pollution” with the participation of six Lebanese Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that showcased possibilities to mitigate this global dilemma. The commemoration was also an opportunity for the Rafic Hariri Foundation (RHF) to plant the Rafic Hariri Rose at the entrance of the UN House in Beirut, as a praise to the efforts of the late Lebanese prime minister who brought back ESCWA to Beirut in 1997. The NGOs exhibition featured Loop Scooters; Hariri Foundation; Compost Baladi; Live Love Recycle; Sawa Association; and Rooftop Organic Garden. In addition, the Director of the Nature Conservation Centre at the American University of Beirut (AUB), Professor Najat Aoun Saliba presented on the “Status of Air Pollution in Lebanon.” Read more

	Understanding blockchain technologies On 30 May 2019, ESCWA held a seminar on understanding blockchain technologies with the participation of ESCWA staff. It falls within a series of seminars aimed at exploring the use of new technologies in support of the work of ESCWA. Professor Ayman Kayssi from the American University of Beirut (AUB) and Tarek Bohsali from Microsoft presented on the concepts and uses of Blockchain as a public good, and Ayman Elsherbiny from ESCWA briefed participants on the current uses in digital finance. Discussions that followed highlighted that the Consortium is the most interesting application Blockchain, where many parties collaborate in an environment that allows trust between partners. Participants also concluded that Blockchain relies on trust in the code that is open and can be validated, and on having distributed data that cannot be tampered with; and that uses include tracking of aid distribution and food supply chain, and verification of identities, records, ownerships, movement of assets/remittances, and energy trading. Read more


	Effective partnerships to voice the universal mandate ESCWA conferences Services Section (CSS) joined conference and language services managers at IAMLADP2019 international forum from over 80 international organizations relying on conference and language services in the execution of their mandate in a multilateralism environment. The meeting for this year was co-hosted by the European parliament and European Commission in Brussels on 27-29 May to discuss developments and changes, share good practice and explore creative solutions for an increasing and complex demand in an area that supports the universal, yet specific mandate on the right direction of travel to 2030 agenda. CSS actively participated in the managers’ coordination meeting, the ideas fair and a series of peer learning sessions. These events provided an integrated space where a variety of technical and substantive topics were tackled, with a view to delivering convincing end results to clients in efficient and effective ways. Read more

	New topics shaping the future of conference and language services Artificial intelligence in conference, translation and interpretation management were the main topics of discussion at IAMLADP2019 international forum held in Brussels. It was collectively perceived as a tool to be creatively used by human intelligence to achieve efficiency gains and keep quality at the heart of every endeavor. Language as an inclusive tool and excluding weapon was addressed, with the difference depending on tasks rightly distributed between what the machine can and cannot do. Accessibility was also prominent on the agenda. ESCWA emphasized that it was not about positive discrimination but rather about removing the physical and cultural barriers. The meeting ended with a set of strategic conclusions stressing the role of language and conference services in shaping viable solutions for development. It issued a statement on the respect and implementation of multilingualism as a core value in organizations having to address people in their own languages to meet, better, their aspirations. Read more


	Clean technologies innovation unit in Bekaa ESCWA joined the President of the American University of Beirut (AUB), the Board of Trustees, and the Deans of Faculties on 1 June to inaugurate the poultry house of the AUB Advancing Research Enabling Communities center (AREC) in Beqaa, Lebanon. ESCWA supported the installation of Renewable Energy technologies (solar water heater, geothermal system, photovoltaic solar panels and anaerobic digester) within its program on sustainable energy deployment in rural areas. The centre, a training facility and a productive farm, will benefit from a reliable and clean source of electricity, heat and ventilation, while reducing the facility’s energy cost and emissions. The facility will serve research and development activities for AUB students and ESCWA capacity building activities in projects addressing Renewable Energy deployment in rural areas.


	Did you know... … that every day around the world, 1,000 children die due to totally preventable water and sanitation-related diseases and that Arab countries are among the most water scarce in the world, with nearly 362 million people suffering from conditions of scarcity? In 2015, more than 51 million people in the Arab region lacked access to basic drinking water services and more than 74 million people were without access to basic sanitation services. Although access to basic drinking water and sanitation services has improved, intermittent supply and poor quality also limit reliable and safe access to water in much of the region. Access to sanitation and wastewater treatment remains low in non-GCC countries. Read more