This regional study examines the presence of women in the judiciary in the Arab States, underlining recent achievements as well as enduring challenges.

Conventional wisdom, based mainly on surveyed household income distribution statistics, suggests that inequality is generally low in Arab countries. At the same time, little attention has been devoted to social inequalities, whether in terms of outcomes or opportunities. This column introduces a forthcoming report, which offers a different narrative: based on the largest research project on the subject to date and covering 12 Arab countries, the authors argue that the region is caught in an inequality trap.

ESCWA has implemented since 2015 an initiative on promoting food and water security in the Arab region with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and in partnership with FAO-RNE, the Arab Organization for Agriculture Development (AOAD) and the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD). This initiative was designed to enable policy makers address challenges related to food security and climate change within the framework of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and related Arab strategies and initiatives.