The disappointing growth in the ESCWA region during the 1980s and 1990s was, in part, due to the failure to balance the decline in investment with an equivalent increase in human capital. The latest issue in this series analyses three member States - Egypt, Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic - over the period 1975-2000 and concludes that investment and human capital were the main sources of long-term growth and that, while total factor productivity was low, it was not negative.

The energy sector in Ukraine has undergone some major transformations during the last decade, mainly due to the evolution of the geopolitical situation in the country. This new situation is increasingly challenging the country’s sustainable energy management and calls for judicious policy reforms to encourage further development of RE in the energy mix.

Arab Gulf countries are heavily dependent on food imports.

The sixteenth issue of the External Trade Bulletin of the ESCWA Region includes statistical data and indicators on the international trade in goods of ESCWA member countries. The facts and figures presented are based primarily on national sources, with additional material provided by secondary sources.