ESCWA WEEKLY NEWS No. 51

Arab priorities for gender equality and women’s empowerment in the coming 5 years

On 28 November, senior Arab officials met in Amman to agree on priorities for the advancement of gender equality and women’s empowerment, in the light of the findings of the regional review of progress made in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA) 25 years after their adoption.

As an outcome of the high-level meeting, member States adopted an Arab declaration which reaffirms the principles enshrined in the Beijing Declaration.

Government officials and representatives of national women’s machineries, regional and global entities and civil society organizations working in the region took part in the high-level meeting, organized by ESCWA  in partnership with the UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States, the League of Arab States (LAS) and the Arab Women Organization (AWO).

Read more
 

ESCWA marks International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

ESCWA marked the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in a ceremony held at the UN House in Beirut on 29 November. The Director of UNRWA Affairs in Lebanon, Mr. Claudio Cordone, participated in the ceremony.

ESCWA Executive Secretary, Rola Dashti, delivered the message of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for the occasion, in which he reiterated that Israeli settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory constituted a flagrant violation of international law.

Two short films on the plight and struggles of the Palestinian people were shown. ESCWA also presented on the impact of the Israeli occupation on their living conditions.

^{Photo credit: Helmi Abou Rahmeh}

Read more
 

Mainstreaming climate action into national development planning in the Arab region

From 25 to 28 November, ESCWA organized in Amman an expert group meeting on “Mainstreaming Climate Action into National Development Planning in the Arab Region”, in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).

The meeting aimed at enhancing capacity on effectively mainstreaming climate action into national development plans, particularly in the water, energy and transport sectors. It also served as a platform for Arab government officials to exchange knowledge and raise awareness on best practices and opportunities for considering nationally determined contributions (NDCs) in national development policies, strategies, programmes and practices.

ESCWA presented on how results of the RICCAR scientific analysis of climate vulnerability can inform national planning for climate action.

Read more
 

ESCWA and partners highlight achievements of the food and water security initiative

ESCWA held on 27 and 28 November a regional meeting on ”Promoting Food and Water Security in the Arab Region” to discuss challenges and opportunities in that area and highlight the major outcomes of the related regional initiative since its launch in 2015.

Several participants presented solutions and models from across the region to reduce the triple burden of obesity, malnutrition and anemia, which affect 115 million persons, 50 million persons and one third of Arab women, respectively. Solutions for food loss and waste were discussed, along with the role of technology and youth.

ESCWA organized the meeting in Amman with support from Sida and in partnership with the Regional Office of FAO, AOAD and ACSAD.

Read more

Role of science and technology parks in sustainable development

ESCWA and the Arab Industrial Development and Mining Organization (AIDMO) organized in Amman from 26 to 28 November, an expert group meeting on technological innovation and entrepreneurship, and the role of science and technology parks in the realization of sustainable development in Arab countries.  

Participants discussed solutions to bridge the gaps in innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems in the Arab region, at both the policy and practical levels. They also examined progress in several national technology transfer offices (NTTOs) and launched a regional network for coordination among the various NTTOs in the Arab region.

Case studies and success stories of incubators, accelerators, start-ups and small and medium enterprises were presented, and more than 55 participants from 15 Arab countries, as well as regional and international experts, conversed about the challenges, opportunities and solutions for technological entrepreneurship in the Arab region.

Read more
 

Baseline mapping study for the energy situation of the building sector in Jordan

On 27 November, in collaboration with Jordan’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR), ESCWA held a Task Force meeting for its project on “Upscaling energy efficiency in the residential and services sectors in the Arab region”.

The event was attended by public and private stakeholders from the various branches of the building sector. Preliminary results of a baseline mapping study for the energy situation of the sector in Jordan were presented and discussed. Participants validated its main findings and identified areas requiring further investigations.
 

Arab Perspectives on Digital Cooperation and the Internet Governance Process

In Berlin, on the sidelines of the 2019 Internet Governance Forum (IGF), ESCWA organized on 27 November an open forum entitled “Arab Perspectives on Digital Cooperation and the Internet Governance Process”.

This forum came in line with the call of the United Nations Secretary-General for facilitating an agile and open consultation process to develop updated mechanisms for global digital cooperation. It tackled options for these mechanisms, including those presented in the Report of the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation.

Discussions yielded policy recommendations on regional priorities requiring increased cooperation in the digital field and the related mechanisms. ESCWA also announced current preparations for the fifth Arab IGF, to be held in Cairo on 15 and 16 January 2020.

Read more

Did you know...

… that income inequality continues to rise in many parts of the world, even though the poorest 40% of the population in most countries experienced income growth faster than the national average? The bottom 40% still received less than 25% of overall income. 

In a number of Arab countries, the richest 1% of the population earn over 15% of the national income, with large urban-rural gaps.
 

^{Photo credit: Ahmad Abu Salem, Lebanon}

Read more