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.

This bulletin provides an overview of ESCWA response to the UN Youth Strategy, focusing on 3 pillars: participation, decent work, and peace and resilience building.

Within the framework of the “Regional Initiative for Promoting Small-Scale Renewable Energy Applications in Rural Areas of the Arab Region (REGEND)” project, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), in partnership with the General Commission for Regional Development (CGDR) and the National Agency for Energy Conservation (ANME) in Tunisia, is organizing a “capacity-building workshop of rural women on entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector”.
 
This workshop aims to build/enhance the knowledge and the practical capacities of a group of rural women in the region of Chorbane (Governorate of Mahdia, Republic of Tunisia) in the field of entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector by raising their awareness/knowledge in creating their agricultural projects that generate income, and in financing agricultural investments by taking advantages of grants, privileges, and fundings provided by the State, agricultural development banks, and micro-finance institutions, and other financing mechanisms designated for the development of the agricultural sector. The workshop also aims to provide the participants with the necessary skills to create innovative agricultural projects according to the sustainable development approach – especially with regard to the Water-Energy-Food Nexus –, prepare their business plans, finance and manage them, by adopting modern methods of training that integrate theoretical (through presentations) and practical (through analysis of case studies) dimensions together.

The Arab Stakeholders Dialogue on Food Systems aims at providing an integrative and engaging platform to enable groups representing farmers, women, banks, engineers, private sector, and others as key stakeholders to share their role, perspectives, experiences, and issues on making the region’s food systems healthier, more inclusive and more sustainable, in addition to enhancing their resilience within the COVID-19 context. 

Registration available on this link.