ESCWA WEEKLY NEWS No. 38

26 August 2019



	AquaCrop for irrigation water management in Lebanon Within the framework of its project on “Enhancing Resilience and Sustainability of Agriculture in the Arab region”, ESCWA organized on 19-23 August the “First Lebanese National Training Workshop on AquaCrop for Irrigation Water Management” in cooperation with the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Lands and Dry Zones (ACSAD). In the workshop, specialists from the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture and associated agricultural research centers enhanced their capacities in irrigation water management through the use of the Aquacrop model, thus contributing to enhancing resilience and sustainability of the agricultural sector. Read more

	Monitoring food security in the Arab Region The second training workshop on the use of the Food Security Monitoring Framework in the Arab Region was held at the UN House in Beirut on 19-22 August. It brought together experts from Ministries of Agriculture and National Statistics Offices of 11 Arab countries. Group work allowed participants to have a hands-on experience on the use of the Food Security Monitoring tool. Earlier, the concept and rational of the Food Security Monitoring Framework were presented in addition to an overview of the selected indicators and how to collect needed data from international databases. This workshop was organized by ESCWA in cooperation with FAO, the Arab Organization for Agriculture Development (AOAD) and the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics (AITRS) and is part of the activities of ESCWA to empower and support countries in turning key issues into actionable policies. Read more


	2nd Youth forum in the Arab region The second edition of the Youth Forum in the Arab region in Tunis was held on 20-22 August with the participation of around 200 young men and women from the Arab region. Organized by UNFPA and the Tunisian Ministry of Youth and Sports in partnership with ESCWA, UNDP, WFP, the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, and UNESCO, the Forum provided an engaging platform for the youth to discuss and conceptualize four projects that serve to increase youth networking and build their knowledge. The projects are to be implemented by the youth, in partnership with governments, private sector and UN organizations. During the Forum, ESCWA organized a capacity building workshop on Youth and the SDGs with the aim to increase the participants’ understanding of the holistic approach of the SDGs to development thinking and the concept of leaving no one behind. It was attended by close to 30 young people from the region. Read more

	Technology transfer landscape in Syria In Damascus, ESCWA conducted on 21 August a workshop to discuss the draft report of Technology Transfer (TT) landscape in Syria with national stakeholders and to agree on the future steps to implement the TT project. The workshop, held in partnership with the Higher Commission of Scientific Research (HCSR), focused on the important role of TT offices in strengthening the link between academia and industry and in contributing to sustainable development by turning research outcomes into commercial products. Developing an appropriate TT system could help ignite Research and Development activities and guide them towards the real needs of Syria, recovering from conflict. It was also agreed that drawing national TT map is considered as an efficient tool to identify existing gaps and suggest required policies and actions to address them. Read more


	Did you know... … that one out of three startups in the Arab world is founded or led by women, which is a much higher percentage than in Silicon Valley, the global centre for high technology, innovation, and social media? In addition, the current review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action shows that six Arab countries have legislation on domestic violence, compared to the last review in 2015 when only one Arab country had such legislation; albeit not activated. Read more