Haidar Fraihat, Director, ESCWA Information and Communication Technology Division, and Ayman Sherbini, Chief of the ESCWA Information and Communication Technology Policies Section, are heading to the headquarters of the Paris based UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to participate in the First WSIS+10 Review Meeting entitled “Towards Knowledge Societies for Peace and Sustainable Development”, which will be held on 25 - 27 February 2013.

Executive Secretary Mervat Tallawy announced that UNESCWA had prepared two concept papers during the war, one on the “Restoration of Environmental Damage Resulting from Military Aggression in Lebanon” and another on “Lebanon’s Rebuilding Momentum”. “These papers”, said Tallawy, “are to be materialized in the very near future into a series of field projects.” She reassured participants of UNESCWA’s intention to support Lebanon in restoring its environment and rehabilitating its economy.

UN-ESCWA is organizing a Workshop on “Composite Economic Indicators for Short-term Economic Forecasting” at the Radisson SAS Hotel, Amman-Jordan, on 12 and 13 March 2007. The main objective of short-term economic forecasting is to assess economic conditions and use this as a guide to the necessary policies required for preserving economic activity at the highest sustainable level.

Beirut, 8 May 2012 (ESCWA Communication and Information Unit)— The member countries of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) unanimously accepted the Republic of Tunisia as a member of the Commission, to be brought up to the United Nations Economic and Social Council for final approval. Meanwhile, member countries also welcomed each of Libya’s and Morocco’s requests to join ESCWA. This step final approval by the ministerial Session Wednesday and reviewing in the member countries’ capitals before a final decision is made.