On 22 and 23 October 2014 ESCWA Centre for Women (ECW) organized an expert group meeting, to review the progress realized on the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 20 years after its adoption in the Arab region. ECW Director Samira Atallah chaired the meeting, alongside Head of the Arab League's Department for Women, Family and Childhood Inas Mekawy and UN Women Deputy Regional Director for Arab States Mohammad Naciri. Attendees were representatives of public administrations and national women machineries in Arab countries, together with regional experts.

“Over 80% of the world’s wastewater is released to environment without treatment,” the UN World Water Development Report 2017 reads. On this year’s World Water Day themed around “Why Waste Water,” ESCWA hosted on 22 March 2017 a ceremony in Amman under the auspices of Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation Hazim El Naser, in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Arab Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA) and the Swedish government.

UNESCWA has published a study titled “Towards an Integrated Knowledge Society in the Arab Countries: Strategies for Implementation Modalities.” It aims at providing a framework and guidelines for the design, development and implementation of national strategies towards the realization and development of a knowledge society and a knowledge-based economy in the Arab countries. It analyses implementation concerns related to socio-economic initiatives, and builds an agenda for implementation modalities related to the development and sustenance of knowledge economies.