ESCWA WEEKLY NEWS No. 55

Visual arts competition on sustainable development

ESCWA launched in collaboration with UNIC Beirut a “Visual Arts Competition on Sustainable Development in the Arab region”. Professionals and amateur photographers and artists with different backgrounds and levels of experience are invited to participate in this competition and submit their materials before Saturday, 29 February 2020. 

Winners will be invited to attend the AFSD, and the rich collection of photographs, videos and graphics will constitute a unique inventory for the “Arab Portal on the SDGs”, a web platform under construction by ESCWA.

The panel of judges will include representatives of ESCWA, UNIC Beirut, SIDA and AUB.

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ESCWA at the Arab Forum for Scientific Research

From 17 to 19 December, ESCWA participated in the seventh session of the Arab Forum for Scientific Research and Sustainable Development in Amman. The Forum was organized by the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) in cooperation with several regional organizations.

ESCWA organized a session on "Technology Transfer, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Youth and Women" and launched its recent study on Innovation and Technology for Sustainable Development: Promising Prospects in the Arab Region for 2030. 

Discussions tackled opportunities offered by new technologies, digital platforms and social entrepreneurship to support job creation for youth and women. Successful experiences were shared, as well as new teaching methods in universities that stimulate innovation and creativity among students.

Energy situation of the building sector in Tunisia

In Tunis, ESCWA held a meeting on 18 December for the national task force of the regional project on “Up-scaling energy efficiency in the residential and services sectors in the Arab region”, in collaboration with the National Agency for Energy Conservation (ANME) in Tunisia.

Preliminary results of the comprehensive baseline mapping study for the energy situation of the building sector in Tunisia were presented and discussed. Areas requiring further investigation were also identified.

Members of the Task Force included representatives of relevant public and private stakeholders for the various branches of the building sector activities.

Training on measuring, monitoring and evaluating economic integration

In December, ESCWA organized a training workshop in Morocco in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Green and Digital Economy to strengthen the capacities of member States in measuring, monitoring and evaluating their performance in global, regional and bilateral economic integration.

Participants included officials from the ministries of trade and customs from Arab countries, and representatives of Arab regional and subregional organizations such as the League of Arab States and the Arab Maghreb Union. 
The training aimed at transferring knowledge on the use of the ESCWA economic integration monitoring and evaluation system and assessing the needs of member States in the trade sector.

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Experts discuss fast-growing special economic zones

In Morocco, ESCWA and UNCTAD jointly organized in December an expert group meeting to review the findings of the World Investment Report 2019 with the participation of high-level economists and experts.

Participants discussed the fundamental challenges posed by the fast-growing pace of special economic zones creation around the world over the last decade.

Special economic zones have been traditionally used around the world to attract foreign direct investment and boost trade. Recently, their role has changed. They are now increasingly used to foster the development of specific industries, hasten economic diversification and structural transformation, or to encourage innovation, in specific regions. Special economic zones have become crucial instruments to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

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Two Aquacrop workshops for Jordan and Palestine

In Amman, ESCWA and ACSAD organized the second national workshops for Jordan and Palestine on Aquacrop for irrigation water management, from 15 to 19 December, as a follow up to the first workshops on the subject held earlier this year.

Participants from ministries of agriculture and associated agriculture research centres in both countries gained insight on the use of the Aquacrop model for assessing irrigation requirements and scheduling for specific nationally grown crops. They also reviewed the use of the model for assessing the impact of climate change on crop yields while using geographic information systems (GIS) tools for extracting climate data developed from RICCAR.

The workshops contributed to enhancing participants’ capacities in managing irrigation water and limiting excessive irrigation.

Did you know...

… that the extent of marine protected areas has doubled since 2010, but the rate at which key biodiversity areas are being protected has slowed? Ocean acidity is 26% higher than in pre-industrial times and projected to increase by 100% to 150% by 2100 at the current rate of CO2 emissions.

The Arab region has made efforts in establishing marine protected areas, but progress remains slow. 78% of marine stocks in the Mediterranean Sea were at biologically unsustainable levels in 2018. Average annual fish catch rates have increased by more than 180% between 1990 and 2013.

Photo credit: Fady Nashaat Wadiaa, Egypt

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