United Nations Under-Secretary-General and ESCWA Executive Secretary Mohamed Ali Alhakim headed to New York to take part in the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development held between 10 and 19 July 2017 and other side-line events. Alhakim is also scheduled to meet a score of UN officials and the Arab Group at the level of the Permanent Representatives to the United Nations.
On Wednesday, the 12th of July, Alhakim will take his oath of office before UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres after he assumed his duties at the peak of ESCWA last May.
The HLPF this year is revolving around "Eradicating Poverty and Promoting Prosperity in a Changing World" and reviewing seven of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Alhakim will present the perspective of the Arab region at a series of sessions particularly at the “Arab Regional Perspective on Achieving Food Security by 2030 within the Context of Conflicts and Severe Environmental Challenges” to be held on Wednesday 12 July in cooperation with the League of Arab Nations (LAS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Alhakim will also take part in the Islamic Development Bank side event held on 14 July under the theme: "Forum Financing to Empowerment: Islamic Finance as an Enabler in Eradicating Poverty" and in the regional commissions side event on "Accelerating Sustainable Development-regional assistance for translating SDGs into national action" scheduled for Tuesday 18 July.
The High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF) was established at the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio 20), and has an expansive mandate, including setting the sustainable development agenda; enhancing integration, coordination and coherence across the UN system and at all levels of governance; and following up on all sustainable development goals and commitments. The UN General Assembly called on 9 July 2013 the five regional commissions, including ESCWA, to organise regional forums in preparation for the international forum, in confirmation to the significance of the regional dimension of sustainable development. Accordingly, ESCWA has organised since 2014 and in cooperation with LAS, the UN system agencies and other partners, annual sessions for the Arab Forum.
For more information:
Nabil Abu-Dargham (head of ECIU): +961-70-99 31 44; dargham@un.org
Ms. Rania Harb: +961-70-00 88 79; harb1@un.org
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