On the occasion of the 2016 World Day to Combat Desertification, regional and international experts gathered on 20 June in a web conference organized by ESCWA to highlight the importance of striving towards Land Degradation Neutrality through the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “Protect Earth, Restore Land, Engage People” was the theme of this year’s global event.

The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) recently organized a regional workshop about an important framework for analyzing the impact of economic policies on the environment, called the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA).

Music lovers flocked to the Maronite Cathedral of St. George in Downtown Beirut, Lebanon, last week to attend a special classical concert held on the occasion of the 35th Anniversary of ESCWA. The Commission’s Executive Secretary, Bader AlDafa, and the German Foundation Podium Junger Musiker had jointly extended the invitation to a concert entitled “Orient Meets Occident: the Arabian Passion according to J. S. Bach.”

ESCWA Deputy Executive Secretary Nadim Khouri opened today the consultative intergovernmental meeting on the “Water and Energy Nexus in the ESCWA Region” at the UN House in Beirut.