The workshop will aim to achieve the following goals:
1. Presentation of the experiences of countries that conducted a population and housing census using tablets, and geospatial technologies during the preparation and completion stages;
2. Addressing the technical and logistical difficulties and problems encountered by the countries that used tablets during the various stages of the census and the measures that were taken to address them, as well as the lessons learned;
3. Determining the infrastructure needed to conduct the census;
4. Determining the training needs required for all the teams participating in the census process, including the cartographic work team, the geographic information systems team, and the team assigned to prepare the methodological and organizational approach to the census.

The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is organizing a visual arts competition on sustainable development in the Arab region, to encourage artists and photographers from the region to portray the reality of sustainable development in Arab countries through photographs, videos or infographics/animation. ESCWA is organizing the competition in collaboration with the United Nations Information Centre in Beirut.

The 30th Ministerial Session of ESCWA is being held from 25 to 28 June 2018 in Beirut, Lebanon, with a focus on “technology for sustainable development in the Arab region.

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