UNESCWA, in partnership with the OECD and UNCTAD, convened the First Annual Meeting of the Competition Forum in the Arab region. The Forum established an annual knowledge-sharing platform on competition policy and enforcement for Arab stakeholders. With a strong development focused and people-centred approach, the Competition Forum in the Arab region brought together high-level competition officials, policymakers, regulators, and the broader competition community to promote peer learning and dialogue, as well as consensus building and networking. The inaugural Forum took place at UN House (ESCWA) in Beirut, Lebanon on 23 and 24 January 2020.

 

Since 2014, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), with the Economic Governance and Planning Section (EGPS) taking the lead, has been undertaking a combination of research, advisory and capacity-building activities on the topic of competition policy in the Arab region. Engagement has spanned national, regional and global levels, with the numerous activities implemented throughout the previous years.

To better address competition related development challenge in the Arab region, UNESCWA partnered with UNCTAD and the OECD for a joint approach to foster:

 
The Competition Forum in the Arab region kickstarted the collaboration with a conference bringing together stakeholders, experts and civil society.