The Social Development Division at ESCWA has conducted in the period of four months in 2010 three online discussion forums on the following thematic areas: (a) Government -civil-society participation in public policy processes including social policies (1 July to 30 August 2010); (b) Media and Development (1 August to 30 September 2010); and (c) Social Integration towards achieving participation (1 September to 30 October 2010).

​Within the framework of the “Regional Initiative for Promoting Small-Scale Renewable Energy Applications in rural areas of the Arab region (REGEND)” Project, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is partnering with the Institute for Global Prosperity (IGP), University College London, RELIEF Centre and Chatham House to organize a workshop on “Transitions to Renewable Energy and Sustainable Prosperity in Lebanon: The Role of Municipalities, Education and Future Scenarios for 2030”.
 
The objective of this workshop is to discuss how alternatives and equitable energy supply systems can be built in Lebanon. The dialogue will be tackling issues such as the chronic lack of data about energy use and demand, the potential of government policies to enable equitable energy supply and the stakeholders’ engagement to effectively contribute to Lebanon’s long-term development goals.

As part of its mandate to promote human development and democratic transition in the region, UN ESCWA launched the National Agenda for the Future of Syria (NAFS) Programme in 2012 to engage Syrian experts and stakeholders in developing policy alternatives for Syria in preparation for a post-agreement phase.