ESCWA Regional Advisor on Environment and Water Ralf Klingbeil participated in the conference on “Social Water Studies in the MENA Region” on September 27th and 28th 2014 at the German Jordanian University (GJU) in Madaba, Jordan. ESCWA contributed to the conference through a panel discussion, a presentation, as well as supporting participating scientists from Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.

Further to a request from the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs, ESCWA organized a five-day intensive training workshop on Programme Cycle Management and Project Formulation at the UN house in Beirut, from 21 to 25 October 2013. The training aimed at enabling the Lebanese cadres to address the national agenda for social development and find potential donors, with the aim of enabling the Ministry to deliver social services and social assistance not only for the Lebanese but also for Syrian refugees.

The digital Arabic content (DAC) competition was launched on 10 April 2014 in the United Arab Emirates within the scope of cooperation between ESCWA and Abu Dhabi University (ADU) and in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The launch was part of a workshop, hosted at the Abu Dhabi Chamber and attended by over 50 participants representing the academic sector, fund agencies, companies involved in DAC development, as well as young entrepreneurs and university students.

The American University of Beirut-affiliated Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs held a seminar on "The Nexus Approach: The Road to Water, Energy and Food Security in the Arab World" on 22 January 2014. ESCWA was represented by Regional Advisor for Environment and Water issues, Ralf Klingbeil, who delivered a presentation on "Food Security, Water Security, Improved Food Value Chains for Sustainable Socio-economic Development".