ESCWA WEEKLY NEWS No. 41

16 September 2019



	Climate Finance in the Arab Region On 12 and 13 September, a 2-day Forum on Climate Finance and Sustainable Cities was organized by the UNFCCC Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) in partnership with ESCWA, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB), to discuss the most efficient ways to support financing climate action in the Arab region. Following a video message by the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina Mohammed, who reiterated the urgent need for climate action, the opening session featured statements by the Executive Secretary of ESCWA, Ms. Rola Dashti, SCF co-Chairs, Mr. Ayman Shasly and Mr. Ismo Ulvila, and the Lebanese Minister of Environment, Mr. Fady Jreissati. Efforts to mobilize more climate finance means will be a key topic this December at the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) in Santiago, Chile. Read more

	SDG-based Approach to Human Rights ESCWA and the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) organized a Regional Course on an “SDG-Based Approach to Human Rights (focus on SDG 16)” in collaboration with the Global Campus – Arab World. The Course was coordinated by the Institute of Political Science at Saint-Joseph University and took place from 7 to 14 September in Beirut. Participants from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Palestine discussed the proactive role of their respective institutions in the roll-out of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the national level, and mainstreaming the principle of “Leaving No One Behind”. ESCWA has been supporting the course since 2018 with publications and expertise as part of the partnership with DIHR.


	Mainstreaming the SDGs into Jordan’s agriculture development strategy On 9 and 10 September, ESCWA organized a technical meeting in Amman to select Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are closely related to Jordan’s agriculture development strategy. Representatives from the Department of Statistics and the Ministry of Planning discussed SDGs/targets related to agriculture and food security, and checked corresponding indicators and their methods of collection. They selected a first list of targets, to be finalized and validated after production of the first set of data. They also proposed incorporating new data in agriculture surveys to inform specific targets related to productivity and income. The meeting was organized in coordination with the International Cooperation Department at the Ministry, based on a technical assistance request from the Ministry of Agriculture.

	Moving towards Water Security in the Arab Region This recent report published by ESCWA presents a conceptual framework for achieving water security in the Arab region. It considers the regional systemic conditions of water stress and scarcity, shared water and climate change, which hinder water security. The report adopts a sustainable development lens, considering that water is central to the three dimensions of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental. The report also adopts a human rights-based approach, examining water security at the community and household level, so as to ensure that no one is left behind. Read more


	Did you know... … that the Arab region is the only region in the world where extreme poverty has increased since 2013, affecting nearly 20% of the population? In addition, about 66% of the population are either poor or vulnerable to multidimensional poverty. Globally, the number of people living in extreme poverty declined from 36% in 1990 to 10% in 2015. But the pace of change is decelerating. Projections suggest that 6% of the world’s population will still be living in extreme poverty in 2030 if current trends continue. Read more