ESCWA WEEKLY NEWS No. 45

ESCWA Committee on Social Development

ESCWA held the twelfth session of its Committee on Social Development on 8 and 9 October to discuss how best to support member States in achieving a more inclusive and equitable development in the Arab region.
 
Representatives of ESCWA member States, as well as observers from regional and international organizations, examined regional priorities in the social development field, such as social protection reform and the inclusion of older persons and persons with disabilities in the development process.
 
Participants agreed on the need to develop integrated and sustainable social protection systems, and to link them to fiscal and macroeconomic policies. They urged that special attention be given to countries suffering from conflict in the work of ESCWA.

As part of the session, ESCWA held a round-table discussion to launch its report on Social Protection Reform in Arab Countries, which inspired several recommendations made by the Committee.

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Role of UN, Lebanon and ESCWA Libraries in boosting sustainable development

On 7 October, the ESCWA Library and UN Library and Information Network for Knowledge Sharing (UN LINKS), in cooperation with the Lebanese Library Association (LLA), organized a forum at the UN House in Beirut on the theme “UN Libraries, MENA Libraries, and Sustainable Development: Open Dialogue.” 

Libraries have been increasingly relied upon to provide information on a variety of sustainable development themes. Forum discussions revolved around innovation in information management, enrichment of the Arabic digital content and e-publishing in the Arabic language.

The Forum was held back-to-back with the annual UN LINKS Meeting 2019, which took place between 8 and 10 October. The meeting offers a platform for UN librarians to exchange experiences and good practices.

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Workshop on Women's Political Participation in Lebanon

The National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) and ESCWA co-organized a workshop on “Women's Political Participation in Lebanon” on 10 October in Beirut.
 
Participants addressed the broad lines of the National Commission's advocacy strategy with the political parties in Lebanon to promote women's political participation and representation.
 
This workshop comes as a follow-up to a previous event organized by the two partners on 4 April with representatives of political parties on women's political participation and representation. It also contributes to the implementation of the internal action plan of NCLW on the political arena, the National Strategy for Women in Lebanon (2011-2021) and Lebanon’s National Action Plan adopted last September on the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325(2000) on women, peace and security.

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Voluntary national reviews in the Arab region

In preparation for the annual review of progress in 2030 Agenda implementation, Arab State representatives gathered at ESCWA on 10 and 11 October to exchange knowledge and experiences on the preparation of voluntary national reviews (VNRs).

Participants discussed ways to include key principles of the 2030 Agenda in national development plans, such as mainstreaming the gender dimension, leaving no one behind, and collecting good-quality, disaggregated data. 

Since 2016, 151 States have submitted their VNR reports to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). Some 52 countries are expected to prepare a VNR in 2020, many for the second or third time. To date, 16 Arab States have prepared and submitted their VNR report, including two second timers.

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ESCWA at the 10th International Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development

The 10th International Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development (IFESD) took place in Bangkok on 7 and 8 October. It was held on the theme “Translating targets into actions” by the five United Nations regional commissions (ESCAP, ESCWA, ECE, ECA and ECLAC) and the Ministry of Energy of Thailand.

Discussions tackled progress on SDG 7, renewable energy and energy efficiency in the building and industry sectors, and cleaner fossil fuels with a focus on natural gas. The ESCWA team shared the outcomes of its activities and projects on those subjects, highlighting that progress in sustainable energy lies at the heart of economic growth and sustainable development in the Arab region.

On the sidelines, the Steering Committee of the REGEND project also held a meeting on 7 October to discuss activities undertaken in Jordan, Tunisia and Lebanon.

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Did you know...

… that fewer girls are forced into early marriage, more women are serving in parliament and positions of leadership, and laws are being reformed to advance gender equality? Despite these gains, discriminatory laws and social norms remain pervasive, along with harmful practices and other forms of violence against women and girls.

Despite women’s share of seats in Arab parliaments increasing to 18%, their political participation remains low, and they still face discrimination and harmful practices: one in every five girls is married before the age of 18.

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