The seventh session of the UNESCWA Statistical Committee will be held on Tuesday 7 November at 10:00 a.m. at the UN House, Beirut, under the auspices of Lebanese Minister of State for Administrative Reform in Lebanon Jean Hogassapian. The meeting will continue until 9 November and will address major issues that concern statistical work in the UNESCWA region and its direct impact on the development process.

The “Muscat Declaration: Towards the Achievement of Gender Justice in the Arab Region” was adopted by ESCWA member States on 21 January 2016 as a broad framework for the achievement of gender equality. This newly adopted concept of gender justice exceeds the traditional concept of gender equality that limits equality to the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, to include the element of accountability to ensure the existence of effective mechanisms to eliminate discrimination.

After an intensive discussion at the UN House, international and regional experts as well as senior government officials agreed that engaging citizens in attaining national development agendas is an imperative. Over 35 participants attended the meeting organized by UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and ESCWA, from 3 to 6 December 2012, in Beirut. Taking cue from their governments at the Rio+20 Summit this June, the participants agreed on the importance of governance and the inclusion of socially vulnerable groups in achieving sustainable development.

Beirut-Amman, 9 December 2019 (ESCWA)--Today, ESCWA concluded the 1st session of its Committee on Trade Policies in Amman, Jordan, to discuss in depth trade-related topics, Arab economic integration and the progress achieved in the past period as well as the priorities for the upcoming one.