The regional workshop aims at strengthening the capacity of staff from national statistical offices, city authorities, local urban observatories and service providers, in: the identification of statistical gaps, collection, classification and analysis of data, and the periodic reporting on selected human settlements indicators; the development of action plans and means to collect data related to the implementation of SDG11; and the development of follow-up mechanisms to serve Arab countries in statistical capacity-building.

The main aim of this factsheet is to introduce a number of green technologies, innovations and practices that could be adopted and applied easily throughout the Arab region and help bridge the gap between growth and sustainability as they reduce unfavorable effects on the environment, improve productivity, efficiency and operational performance.

An Expert Group Meeting on “Development Under Crisis Conditions” opened yesterday that is being hosted by UNESCWA in cooperation with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Institute at the UN House, Beirut. The meeting, which is taking place from 27 to 28 June 2006, is enhancing development efforts in this often unstable region by bringing together expertise and stakeholders to address the causes and effects of conflict in the region.

This report examines how inequality and personal autonomy are likely to impact on the broad political settlement in the Arab region overtime.