Beirut-New York, 19 February 2019 (ESCWA)--United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) Rola Dashti took her oath of office before United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) Antonio Guterres on Monday 18 February 2019 at the world body’s headquarters, New York, after she assumed her duties at the helm of ESCWA on the 7th. Following the ceremony, Dashti delivered the following remarks:
“Today, I took my oath of office before the UN Secretary General at the UN Headquarters in New York.
“On this occasion, I would like to thank the UNSG, Mr. Guterres, and the ESCWA member States for their trust. I am happy and proud to serve the Arab region through ESCWA.
“I would like to take this opportunity to renew the ESCWA commitment to serve the Arab region by fostering socio-economic cooperation among member countries, a region that is currently facing unprecedented political, security and development challenges.
“This requires concerted efforts to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development particularly at the level of combating poverty and empowering women and youth in a region where unemployment rate reached 30%. Furthermore, there is no doubt that we cannot attain these goals without ending poverty in a successful manner, and without the preservation of the middle class which is the backbone of a balanced and healthy social structure. We have to make the most of the opportunities in the Arab region in order to accomplish them.
“To implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Arab region, ESCWA will exert its maximum effort at the level of providing economic and social policies, as well as presenting technical advice and leading research and reports.”
Photo Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
For more information:
-Nabil Abu-Dargham, Head, ESCWA Communication and Information Unit,
+961-70-993-144; email: dargham@un.org
-Ms Rania Harb, Public Information Assistant, +961-70-008-879; email: harb1@un.org