ESCWA WEEKLY NEWS No. 65

24 March 2020



	Losses to be counted in billions due to the coronavirus pandemic In addition to the rising death toll and extremely heavy burden on health-care systems, the Arab region is suffering from losses of billions of dollars due to COVID-19, according to a policy brief issued on 18 March by ESCWA featuring the first economic assessment of the cost of the pandemic to the region. Arab States’ gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to decline by at least $42 billion in 2020. In addition, more than 1.7 million jobs could be lost in 2020, with the unemployment rate increasing by 1.2 percentage points. The ESCWA assessment also demonstrates that COVID-19 has led to a significant decline in oil prices, which, compounded with the global drop in oil prices, has cost the region nearly $11 billion in net oil revenues between January and mid-March 2020. Read more

	Building capacities in developing social protection policies ESCWA has released a new manual on building capacities in developing social protection policies using a participatory approach. The Manual provides a set of practical models, skills and tools necessary for formulating, implementing, financing and evaluating social protection policies. It also explains how to build consensus around them to enhance their effectiveness and meet the needs of the different society segments. The Manual is a training instrument for developing integrated and coherent social protection policy that responds to global frameworks and recommendations. It is flexible enough to be adapted to the realities of each country. The Manual was elaborated as part of efforts to strengthen national social policies, plans and programmes founded on the principles of social justice. ESCWA will hold national and regional trainings on its use, and will provide advisory services to requesting member States on how to adapt it to their specific context. Read more

	Reforming Technical and Vocational Education and Training Youth in the Arab region register the highest youth unemployment rate in the world. Problems include weak demand for employment and difficulties in job creation for young people entering the job market. ESCWA released a new technical paper that scrutinizes high youth unemployment rates prevalent in the Arab region from the perspective of labour supply. More specifically, it examines technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in the region and discusses its potential for empowering youth, equipping them with the required skill sets and reducing their unemployment rates. The paper describes ways in which TVET can play a critical role in combatting youth unemployment, the challenges facing TVET in the region and recent policy developments in Arab countries concerning TVET. Read more


	Did you know... … that, by 2019, only six Arab States, namely Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, had adopted stand-alone violence against women (VAW) legislation, and nine Arab States had designed national strategies or policies to combat VAW? In the Arab region, most social services in response to VAW are provided by non-governmental organizations with limited financial and human resources and little government support. Photo credit: lolostock Read more