Tunis hosted on 17 and 18 September 2014 the 28th ministerial session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), with the participation of ministers and officials from ESCWA member States alongside senior regional and foreign officials. The session included the participation of a host of representatives from prestigious regional and international organizations, concerned civil society organizations, and regional and international persons of expertise. It offered an opportunity to highlight the importance of Arab cooperation in establishing new development approaches to meet growing demands of Arab peoples for social justice and equality.

The Tunis Declaration and similarly notable resolutions that affect the ESCWA work programme were the main outcome of the session.The representatives of ESCWA member States committed to social justice as a core value of the Arab and Islamic culture and a foundation for secure, cohesive and prosperous societies. They stressed that they will strive to achieve equality and equity in their countries; eradicate poverty; secure environmental sustainability and build partnerships for development, as enshrined in international treaties and declarations.

Participants affirmed the importance of addressing threats to social cohesion and combating water scarcity, food and water insecurity, environmental pollution, climate change and the increasing debt of poor Arab countries, which further impede efforts towards social justice and sustainable development.

Taking a noteworthy stand, representatives of member States strongly condemned in the "Tunis Declaration" the Israeli military offensives targeting Palestinian civilians and infrastructure, and the latest attack on the Gaza Strip in July and August 2014. They recognized that the Israeli occupation and its policies and practices of discrimination, racial segregation, apartheid and settlement-building and the Judaization of East Jerusalem undermine the basic rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Territories and the Syrian population in the occupied Golan Heights.

Member States condemned the revival of racist calls to religious purity of States – namely by the Government of Israel and extremist groups in the region – a concept which represents a flagrant violation of the rights of peoples to equality and non-discrimination.

They recognized that their societies face vicious waves of terrorism that limit their opportunities to achieve development and social justice goals, by threatening their resources and capabilities and destroying the development gains that their peoples and Governments secured over decades.

Participants affirmed the commitment of Arab States to advancing youth development, especially for those with special needs, and stressed the urgent need to overcome the obstacles to youth economic and social empowerment.  They also stressed the importance of empowering older persons and enhancing their contribution to the development process; reducing unemployment through indiscriminate means to create employment opportunities; developing productive sectors; addressing the mismatch between educational outcomes and the needs of the labour market; and improving economic governance systems.

Concerning women's issues, they affirmed the need to develop policies, establish mechanisms to combat violence against women, undertake special measures to increase women's effective participation in decision-making, and develop strategies that expand social protection, without exclusion or marginalization to address the requirements of different population groups. They also noted their determination to promote a sense of responsible citizenry and civic engagement in decision-making.

Participants requested that the  secretariat of ESCWA incorporate the elements of social justice in its work on the preparation, monitoring and implementation of a post-2015 development agenda and sustainable development goals, and establish clear implementation and monitoring mechanisms to ensure the achievement of national, regional and global development goals, in accordance with country capabilities.

They also requested that the secretariat provide advisory services and technical support to member States to improve national policy responses so as to enhance social cohesion, tackle youth and women’s development challenges, and promote youth and women’s participation and empowerment in decision-making processes.

Concerning Palestine, they requested the secretariat to monitor the effects of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, its implications in the light of regional and international developments and its detrimental impact on the attainment of the multiple dimensions of justice in Palestine and the region as a whole, so as to uphold the human rights-based and legal efforts to condemn the Israeli occupation and support the Palestinians in demanding their rights.

They also requested to create a measurement tool to monitor progress in the area of social justice in the Arab region and strengthen the capacity of member States and statistical agencies to collect, build, analyse and disseminate harmonized related indicators.

The "Tunis Declaration" was the outcome of the roundtable discussions during the 28th ESCWA session, which were led by prominent regional and international senior officials and intellectuals, who discussed the new development approach; economic policies supportive of social justice; intergenerational justice and access to natural resources; and social justice-monitoring and measurement. The debates were meant to trigger a regional dialogue on integrating the principles of social justice in national development plans, policies and strategies and building a regional consensus to drive forth national efforts in this area.

The session had initiated its meetings at the senior official segment on 15 and 16 September 2014, adopting resolutions of importance to the Arab region in the context of the ESCWA work programme. Participants had recommended the preparation of a proposal on the establishment of an Arab bank for development and reconstruction, to be submitted to the Arab leaders' summit in Tunis in 2015. They recommended the formulation of a common Arab vision in coordination with the League of Arab States (LAS) to draw up the post-2015 development plan. Participants also stressed the importance of coordination mechanisms in avoiding the duplication of reports and initiatives.

They recommended a study be conducted in cooperation between ESCWA and LAS to measure what has, or has not, been implemented of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the possibility of continuing these goals in the new development paradigm, in addition to examining the hurdles so the goals are up to measure. They recommended conducting a study on the social, financial and economic repercussions of terrorism on the region, especially in light of the regional recognition and the international acknowledgment of the dangers of terrorism as a phenomenon on sustainable development in the Arab region.  Participants agreed to establish an Arab regional integration centre, and emphasized the importance of cooperation and coordination with LAS.

In a historic move spurred by the new membership of Arab countries in ESCWA and the achievements since 2011, participants noted that the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia should instead be called the Economic and Social Commission for Arab States, and called on the secretariat to implement this decision.

The ESCWA 28th Session was an important platform to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Commission. Participants in the opening session of the ministerial segment watched a documentary that shed light on the most salient achievements of ESCWA since its establishment, most notably, paving the way towards comprehensive Arab development. It also highlighted the great diversity of nationalities of staff members who hail from Arab and foreign countries, their positive outlook for the region, and their efforts towards responding to the aspirations of its peoples.

Also on the margins of the session, ministers and high level officials discussed a report by ESCWA analyzing the status of the Arab middle class, which is due for launching officially in November. This is the first report of its kind to undertake both in-depth socio-economic research and broad-based data analysis from across the region.

The report highlights that the Arab middle class is a demographically large, politically fundamental and economically ill-understood actor in the Arab region. Presenting the middle class’ frustrations of growing inequality and political under-representation, the report boldly calls for the formation of a grand democratic alliance for social justice, and the establishment of a new social contract. Although an empowered, properly represented middle class can form the backbone of socially-conscious, developmental state, recent conflicts and instability in the region have greatly shrunk the ranks of the Arab middle class.

The report also presents a set of policy recommendations to protect the middle class from falling into poverty, and enhance the poorer classes’ ability to join the middle class through fiscal and budgetary reform, creation of decent jobs and strengthened social protection.

 

The session also saw the signing of a technical cooperation framework entitled "Towards inclusive economic development in Tunisia" between ESCWA and the Government of Tunisia.

The framework encompasses the preparation of an investment roadmap for Tunisia, with a focus on less developed regions;  the preparation of a study on "Growth and Employment in Tunisia", that includes economic policy recommendations to assist Tunisia in the transitional period;  support the Tunisian Government in the development of an upcoming Economic and Social Development Plan, with particular emphasis on building management and analytical capacity for decentralized planning; using computable general equilibrium (CGE) models and quantitative tools in planning; establishing monitoring and evaluation tools as well as indicators for measuring progress in reaching development targets.

It also extends to assisting the government in evaluating the impact of greater trade liberalization in agriculture and fisheries on the Tunisian economy, in the context of future negotiations with the European Union on the Deep and Complete Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA); and enhancing the capacity of the Secretary of State of Development and International Cooperation in the fields of statistics.

In parallel to the Tunis-held session, ESCWA organized the Arab Consultative Meeting on an Accountability Framework for the Post-2015 Development Agenda, on 15 and 16 September 2014. The meeting aimed to seek regional views and proposals from a wide spectrum of stakeholders in the Arab region, including ESCWA member States, civil society, the private sector and regional organizations, regarding the elements of an accountability framework for the post-2015 development agenda. The meeting explored the potential for a regional framework for accountability, anchored at the national level and feeding into the global level.

The meeting resulted in a Chair's Summary, which will inform the ongoing intergovernmental deliberations on the post-2015 development agenda.  In particular, the Chair’s Summary will be transmitted to the Secretary-General before mid-October 2014 and will constitute an important contribution to the Secretary-General’s planned Synthesis Report.