As an increasing number of countries, including many developed countries, are struggling to cope with the outbreak of COVID-19, emerging economies and developing countries are facing an unprecedented threat to their development achievements, human life, social cohesion and have been facing socio-economic hardships due to fragile health care systems and socio-economic vulnerabilities. The current COVID-19 pandemic calls for unprecedented efforts and coordinated action. It requires more than ever strengthening public institutions, implementing innovative measures and a collaborative spirit by all countries and the global community to contain the spread of the pandemic and mitigate its far-reaching socio-economic, and even political repercussions.
Focused on the needs and responses from the Arab region, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission (UN ESCWA) and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) -Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG)- are jointly organizing a Webinar Series specifically dedicated to the Arab region on “Leveraging Public Governance & Exploring Innovative Solutions to Address the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

This summary of Millennium Development Goals in the Arab Region 2005 was prepared as a collaborative ‎effort of United Nations agencies in the region on the occasion of the September 2005 World Summit and ‎the sixtieth session of the General Assembly, this effort was coordinated by ESCWA. It provides an ‎overview of progress in the Arab region ‎ towards the stated aim of achieving the Goals by 2015 and ‎highlights key challenges and issues. Data and analyses are presented by sub-region.

The catalogue is a compilation of gender statistics related activities and outputs implemented by the Arab countries and the Statistics Division at the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The catalogue aims to promote good practices in compiling and disseminating gender statistics. It also gives incentives to countries to exert further effort towards improving gender statistics at the national level.

Following the Libyan parliamentary elections held in June 2014 and the inability of the Government to extend its authority beyond Tripoli, in addition to the political instability and intensified armed violence around the capital city of Tripoli and the second largest city of Bengazi, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) produced a note to examine the economic situation in Libya and review the main challenges the Libyan economy is facing.