Marking the 45^th anniversary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the Executive Secretary of the commission highlighted the organization’s crucial role in supporting Arab countries to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and regional integration.

ESCWA wrapped-up the twefth session of its Transport Committee with recommendations that highlighted road safety, an issue member countries were called to consider a priority, implementing by such the eponym UN Decade of Action launched last week.

The committee had convened at the UN House in Beirut, on 17-19 May. A slew of officials gathered for the event, including representatives from ESCWA’s 14 member countries, and regional as well as international organizations.

Under the patronage of Lebanese Minister of Economy and Trade Nicholas Nahhas, the Technical Committee on Liberalization of Foreign Trade, Economic Globalization and Financing for Development in the Countries of the ESCWA Region opened today its seventh session. Statements at the opening session were delivered by Acting Director General of the Ministry of Economy and Trade in Lebanon Fouad Fleifel, representing Nahhas, the Director of ESCWA’s Economic Development and Globalization Division Adballah Dardai and president of the session Ahmad Al Douchari of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the city of Manama saw the gathering of around 400 Arab high level personalities in the Second Session of the Arab High-Level Forum on Sustainable Development (AFSD), which was organized by ESCWA and the UN Environment Program (UNEP) in cooperation with the League of Arab States (LAS) on 5-7 May 2015.