What:    Round-table meeting to discuss and launch a new report by ESCWA titled “Social Protection Reform in Arab Countries”, in the context of the twelfth session of the ESCWA Committee on Social Development.
 
When:             Tuesday 8 October 2019 at 2:00 p.m.
 
Where:            ESCWA Headquarters, Riad el-Solh Square, Beirut, Lebanon
 
Who:
- H.E. Mr. Daoud Al Deek, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Social Development, State of Palestine;
- H.E. Mr. Ibrahim Almubarak, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Labour and Social Development, Saudi Arabia;
- Mr. David Robalino, Professor/Expert, American University of Beirut;
- Mr. Adib Nehme, Advisor, Arab NGO Network for Development.
 
Participants include representatives of ESCWA member States, as well as observers from regional and international organizations.
 
Why:      In the Arab region, social protection systems are affected by factors including rapid population growth, inadequate fiscal space and a narrow economic base. These complications stand in the way of the Governments’ effort to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
 
The ESCWA report contends that implementing social protection systems helps to shape trust in government, increase social cohesion, and enhance social justice and social solidarity in any given society.
 
It also highlights the necessity of implementing social protection systems that are well integrated into other social policies, such as policies on labour, education, poverty alleviation, rural and urban development, and social services in general.
 
 
The ESCWA Communication and Information Unit (ECIU) kindly asks media representatives wishing to cover this meeting to confirm their attendance at +96170008879.
 

For more information:
-Ms Rania Harb, Public Information Assistant, +961-70-008-879; email: harb1@un.org