Participants in the UNESCWA seminar on “Population, Housing and Establishment Censuses in the Context of Development" held in Cairo on 30-31 July 2006 under the patronage of Egyptian Prime Minister considered that the implementation of the census is Egypt was an important opportunity to be used in indicating the effects of population issues over development and the future needs in Egypt not only at the national and provincial levels.

In an increasingly dominating global economy, the need of harnessing science, technology and innovation (STI) has become quite evident. As globalization has enhanced the dissemination of knowledge and expertise, there is a pressing need to couple STI outcomes with business enterprises and practical applications in the industrial and technical domains.

The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is organizing a workshop and an expert group meeting in Dubai, on issues of trade facilitation and transport, from 9 to 11 April 2013.
In cooperation with the Islamic Development Bank, ESCWA is holding a “Regional training Workshop on Trade Facilitation, Infrastructure and Trade Costs Policies in ESCWA region” at the Movenpick Deira Hotel, Dubai.

Given the important uses of purchasing power parities (PPPs) in the formulation of economic policies and in monitoring Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Western Asia has been working towards the regular production of PPPs by constructing a continuous annual PPP time series and establishing the International Comparison Program (ICP) as a permanent element within the regular statistical work programs, an initiative which has granted the region a leading position within the global ICP community.