Beirut, 25 January 2019 (Communication and Information Unit)--In line with the aim to ‘empower people and ensure inclusiveness and equality’ across the Arab region, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) held the second regional parliamentary forum seeking to strengthen the capacities and knowledge of parliamentarians so that they can play a more effective role in advancing sustainable development efforts.

The International Year of Forests, 2011 Celebrating Forests for People Forests are essential renewable resources that are important for the survival and wellbeing of people around the World. They provide shelter, food and medicine to people and are a major habitat for biodiversity. They provide clean water and play a vital role in maintaining a stable climate and preserving the environment, to name a few. In order to highlight the important role of forests, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests.

UNESCWA Executive Secretary Mervat Tallawy said the determination of Arab women led to the achievement of a series of measures related to the progress of women and their empowerment in the Arab world.

Tallawy was speaking at a ceremony held under her aegis on the occasion of International Women’s Day and organized by the Middle East Achievement Awards Institute at Burj Al Arab, Dubai, last night. The ceremony was attended by a host of political, diplomatic, economic, and cultural figures who came together to honor 5 prominent Arab women.

Beirut, 11 May 2018 (Communication and Information Unit) – The second edition of the ESCWA Social Development Report on “inequality, autonomy and change in the Arab world” was launched yesterday at the United Nations Regional Commission in Beirut, Lebanon.