This report provides a regional review of the performance of Arab countries on the Millennium Development Goals, and it highlights the issues facing Arab youth

According to the International Organization for Migration, by 2010, the world migrant population stock will have reached 214 million, meaning that one in every 35 people globally will be a migrant. Furthermore, a combination of current socio-economic and demographic trends is expected to further increase the scale of international migration. Any comprehensive response, aimed at managing the complexities of this situation, needs to be supported by reliable data. However, statistics on international migration in the ESCWA region are scarce and poorly circulated.

This brochure highlights ESCWA’s recent activities on youth, older persons, persons with disabilities and social justice, and why these issues are vital to the development of the Arab region.

In facing development challenges, policymakers and humanitarian aid practitioners rely on traditional data sources from official sources to inform their decisions with regards to both host communities as well as refugees. These sources can be costly, time-consuming and difficult to collect, particularly amidst a context susceptible to multiple crises. Also, they are infrequently updated, which can make the information they contain obsolete, especially within the highly volatile political and socioeconomic context of the Arab region.  With the advent of the ‘Data Revolution’, we are currently surrounded by a wealth of information, known as “Big Data”. Vast amounts of data are examined in order to extract patterns and insights, and recommendations and solutions are then formulated accordingly. This pilot project explores the potential of unconventional data sources in informing policymakers of the conditions and vulnerabilities of Syrian refugees and Lebanese host communities.