ESCWA WEEKLY NEWS No. 44

7 October 2019



	Shared Prosperity, Dignified Life This August, the Executive Secretary of ESCWA launched the Commission’s new Motto, “Shared Prosperity, Dignified Life”, Vision, “ESCWA – an innovative catalyst for a stable, just and flourishing Arab region,” and Mission Statement, after months-long consultations with staff members. The Mission Statement reads as follows: “Committed to the 2030 Agenda, ESCWA’s passionate team ESCWA produces innovative knowledge, fosters regional consensus and delivers transformational policy advice. Together, we work for a sustainable future for all.” ‘Young ESCWA’ had designed an initial staff survey in April 2019. Several brainstorming sessions initiated in May discussed its outcomes and proposed a new motto, and new vision and mission statements. The first draft version was revised in an online consultation with staff members, then presented to member States at the Executive Committee. Read more

	Training on reporting to the CEDAW committee To support States in preparing their national reports to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), ESCWA held a regional training workshop from 30 September to 2 October in Beirut, in partnership with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) and the Arab Women Organization (AWO). The training focused on latest reporting techniques, related skills and improvement of internal coordination capacities. Over 30 participants represented foreign ministries, national women’s machineries and civil society organizations from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, State of Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Another workshop will be organized before the end of this year in Tunisia to include other Arab countries. Read more


	The use of census data for development planning and scientific research In Rabat, ESCWA organized a regional workshop on the use of census data for development planning and scientific research in Arab countries. The workshop, held from 1 to 3 October in cooperation with the High Commission for Planning and the UNFPA Regional Office, aimed at shedding light on the connection between data producers and users and different ways to disseminate census data. Representatives of Arab countries that have carried out censuses over the last five years and other participants discussed how to use individual census data in research and planning processes, and how to make them accessible through new means of communication, including social media platforms. Read more

	International Translation Day 2019: the power of languages On 30 September 2019, ESCWA marked International Translation Day with an event on the theme “The power of languages”, which brought together seasoned translators and trainees alongside authors from ESCWA divisions specializing in the economic, social and environmental dimensions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. On that occasion, ESCWA also launched the fifteenth Saint Jerome Translation Contest, which it is organizing. The Contest is open to professional translators and other staff members, interns, students and permanent missions, to experience the power of languages and test their ability to express other people’s ideas and tell their stories in another language. The Contest is conducted in the six official languages plus German. Participants can try their hand at translating texts that are a far cry from standard United Nations documents, in an exercise where technology cannot outshine creativity. Read more


	Did you know... … that, despite considerable progress in educational access and participation, 262 million children and adolescents (6 to 17 years old) were still out of school in 2017? That is nearly one fifth of the global population in that age group. More than half of all children and adolescents worldwide do not meet minimum proficiency standards in reading and mathematics. Meanwhile, close to 20 million children in the Arab region are out of school, with girls 2.5 times more likely than boys to be affected. Equitable access to quality education remains a challenge, and minimum proficiency in mathematics is below 50%, less than half the target for 2030. Read more