The Social Development Division (SDD) of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) organized the expert group meeting “Towards Equity in Urban Social Policies: Social Guide for Urban Observatories” under the programme of work of the Social Policy in the City Team. The main purpose of this meeting was to review the proposed framework for the Social Guide for Urban Observatories, with the following goals: (a) To explore expert opinion on the framework of indicators proposed in the Guide, their various components and ways of improving them. The experts dealt in their papers, presentations and
discussions with the complex problems that urban observatories will be monitoring and addressed the course of social policy in terms of its relationship to sustainable urban development; (b) To deepen knowledge of the situation in the Arab countries, especially their conception of urban policy and the dynamics of their urban settings, and problems related to the “institutionalization” of the urban observatories, all by conducting research and arriving at fresh results. The meeting took place over two days. The interventions made on the first day and the workshops held on the second dealt with three main issues: (a) the Social Guide; (b) local authorities; and (c) urban observatories already established in the Arab countries.