The Jordanian capital, Amman, will host this coming week at the Kempinski Hotel a series of inter-governmental events held by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), and attended by high-level figures and experts in the areas of energy, water and food security. These events will begin this coming Sunday with the 10th Session of the ESCWA Committee on Energy, and will include the noteworthy Arab Launch of the United Nations Decade of Sustainable Energy for All 2014-2024, at 4:00 PM on Monday 23 March 2015, under the auspices of Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mines Resources, Representative of the Government of Jordan as host country Ibrahim Seif, who will deliver an opening statement in the event. Also speaking at the opening will be ESCWA Deputy Executive Secretary Abdalla Al-Dardari and Representative and Director of the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative at the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, New York, Minoru Takada.

Following the launch of the decade, a high-level ministerial panel will be held with the participation of Minister Seif; Palestinian Energy Authority Minister Omar Kettana; President of Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation(Kahramaa), Essa Bin Hilal Al-Kuwari; Former Minister of Industry, Energy and Mines in Tunisia, Kamel Ben Naceur, Plenipotentiary Minister, Director of Energy Management at the League of Arab States (LAS), Cairo - Arab Republic of Egypt Jamila Youssef Matar; Executive Director of the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE), Cairo, Egypt, Tareq Emtairah, General Director of Observatoire Mediterranean Energy (OME), Paris, Houda Allal. The panel will be moderated by ESCWA Director of Sustainable Development Policies Division, Roula Majdalani.

ESCWA Committee on Energy

The 10th session of the ESCWA Committee on Energy will convene on Sunday and Monday 22-23 March, and aims to discuss issues related to sustainable energy in the Arab region, namely energy security and regional integration; technology adaptation policy and potential for local manufacturing of adequate renewable energy equipment; and the implementation of the United Nations Decade on Sustainable Energy for All in the Arab region, with a focus on the post-2015 development agenda from the perspective of the Arab region and the energy-water-food nexus. The session agenda also includes recurrent items on progress achieved in implementing the recommendations made by the Committee at its previous session and the energy-related activities under the ESCWA programme of work, in addition to the proposed programme of work for the biennium 2016-2017 in the field of energy.

Water-Energy-Food Security

On Tuesday and Wednesday 24-25 March, an expert group meeting on the Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus in the Arab Region will be held back-to-back with the 10th session of the ESCWA Committee on Energy. The meeting aims to build understanding of the overall scope of the water, energy and food security nexus for advancing sustainable development; examine the core elements of the water, energy food security nexus and related components in view of framing the nexus within the context of the Arab region; review case studies and examples of applying a nexus conceptual approach in strategic areas of concern for the Arab region; discuss the benefits, opportunities and challenges of adopting a nexus approach for strengthening integrated natural resource management within the context of institutional and policy frameworks existing in the Arab region; and exchange information on regional initiatives, projects and partnerships supporting Arab countries on the water, energy and food nexus.

ESCWA Committee on Water Resources

The 11th session of the ESCWA Committee on Water Resources will be held on Thursday and Friday 26-27 March under the theme “Water and Sustainable Development”, and will offer an intergovernmental forum to discuss the challenges and obstacles facing the region in the area of integrated water resources management; regional approaches for addressing water supply and sanitation; climate change and shared water resources management; the water-energy-food nexus; and preparations for the post-2015 development agenda.

ESCWA is one of the five UN regional commissions. It provides a framework for the formulation and harmonization of sectoral policies for member countries; a platform for congress and coordination; a home for expertise and knowledge, and an information observatory. ESCWA aims at supporting economic and social cooperation between the region’s countries and promoting development process in order to achieve regional integration. ESCWA has seven specialized subsidiary intergovernmental committees. Those committees are: the Statistical Committee, the Committee on Social Development, the Committee on Energy, the Committee on Water Resources, the Committee on Transport, the Technical Committee on Trade and Finance and the Committee on Women.

The ESCWA Communication and Information Unit (ECIU) kindly requests media institutions in Jordan to give these events the highlights they deserve. For your queries, kindly contact: ESCWA Communication and Information Unit (ECIU) on either of the following numbers: Mr. Nabil Abu Dargham +961-70-993144, dargham@un.org; Ms. Maryam Sleiman +961-03-910 930, sleiman2@un.org; Ms. Mirane Abi-Zaki +961-76-04 64 02, abi-zaki@un.org. Please direct your emails to: escwa-ciu@un.org Tweets and updates of ESCWA events can be found on: @ESCWACIU, and https://facebook.com/unescwa