Your Excellencies
Distinguished delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all on behalf of Dr. Rima Khalaf our Executive Secretary and Under Secretary General to the UN House in Beirut to our gathering of distinguished experts and illustrative expertise to discuss and Issue of Macroeconomic Simulations for MDG Achievement.

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.

"Under an Olive Tree in Palestine" is the slogan of a poster launched today by ESCWA as part of its efforts to raise awareness about the socio-economic repercussions of Israeli occupation in Palestine, including settlements and the policies of blockades and closures. The poster was distributed to UN headquarters in New York, Geneva, Vienna and to many UN agencies in Lebanon. ESCWA also provided the Palestinian Authority and some non-governmental organizations with copies for use and circulation.

The present study documents and analyzes domestic violence protection order legislation in the Arab region through the lens of international frameworks and good practice with the aim of having Arab States streamline their legislation in line with such frameworks and practice.