ESCWA WEEKLY NEWS No. 54

1st Session of ESCWA Committee on Financing for Development

On 12 December, ESCWA concluded the 1st Session of its Committee on Financing for Development in Amman, to discuss frameworks to curb illicit financial flows (IFFs) obstructing the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Representatives from member States reiterated the need to limit the damages incurred by illicit financial flows, and their impact on the mobilization of the national funds needed for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

The Committee welcomed the first comprehensive report on the State of Financing Development in the Arab Region, and the report on Illicit Financial Flows in the Arab Region, as well as the updated findings of the Arab Financing for Development Scorecard presented by ESCWA during the session.

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20th session of ESCWA Committee on Transport and Logistics

On 10 December, the 20th session of the Committee on Transport and Logistics of ESCWA concluded in Amman with a number of recommendations that seek to support member States to improve the situation of transport in the Arab region.

Representatives of ESCWA member States agreed on availing from the Guidelines on Road Safety Management Systems from the Road Safety Fund to initiate projects that help improve road safety in small and medium income countries, and on encouraging participation at the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety on 19–20 February 2020.

Participants discussed road safety and challenges related to the implementation of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, the Belt and Road initiative and its implications on the region.

Photo credit: Jack Jamkartanian, Lebanon

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1st session of ESCWA Committee on Trade Policies

ESCWA held the 1st session of its Committee on Trade Policies in Amman on 8 and 9 December to discuss in depth trade-related topics, Arab economic integration and the progress achieved in the past period as well as the priorities for the upcoming one.

Participants delved into issues of trade in services as an engine of growth and development and agreed on a set of recommendations, which included promoting trade integration in development plans; urging all Arab countries to join the trade liberalization agreement; and developing platforms that provide information and tools for decision makers to achieve Arab integration on various tracks.

ESCWA also presented a tool to measure the impact of trade policies on selected sustainable development goals (SDGs).

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9th session of ESCWA Committee on Women

On 27 November, the ninth session the Committee on Women of ESCWA concluded with a series of recommendations on the advancement of women’s rights, with a focus on the pathways that Arab countries took to implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 25 years after its adoption.

Recommendations included taking advantage of the knowledge and training manuals issued by the Regional Commission and encouraging the latter to continue to develop tools to provide data on indicators related to violence against women.

Participants included representatives of ESCWA member States, the League of Arab States (LAS), the Arab Women Organization (AWO), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), as well as organizations on women.

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Did you know...

… that, as greenhouse gas levels continue to climb, climate change is occurring much faster than anticipated, and its effects are evident worldwide? The global mean temperature for 2018 was approximately 1°C above the pre-industrial baseline, and the last four years have been the warmest on record. Sea levels continue to rise at an accelerating rate.

Temperatures in parts of the Arab region are projected to increase by 5oC by the end of the century, higher than the global average increase, while precipitation is projected to decline. By 2025, climate change will expose up 100 million people in the region to water stress, including droughts.  About 20 million people are projected to be affected by rising sea levels and coastal flooding.

Photo credit: Ramzi Kadi, Lebanon

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