United Nations Under-Secretary-General and ESCWA Executive Secretary Mohamed Ali Alhakim arrived this evening in Beirut to assume his responsibilities. He was received at the Rafik Hariri International Airport by Iraqi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Al Ameri, ESCWA Deputy Executive Secretary Khawla Mattar, ESCWA Secretary Karim Khalil and a number of officials in the Commission. Before his appointment, Alhakim was the Permanent Representative and Ambassador of Iraq to the United Nations in New York since May 2013.
 

In facing development challenges, policymakers and humanitarian aid practitioners rely on traditional data sources from official sources to inform their decisions with regards to both host communities as well as refugees. These sources can be costly, time-consuming and difficult to collect, particularly amidst a context susceptible to multiple crises. Also, they are infrequently updated, which can make the information they contain obsolete, especially within the highly volatile political and socioeconomic context of the Arab region.  With the advent of the ‘Data Revolution’, we are currently surrounded by a wealth of information, known as “Big Data”. Vast amounts of data are examined in order to extract patterns and insights, and recommendations and solutions are then formulated accordingly. This pilot project explores the potential of unconventional data sources in informing policymakers of the conditions and vulnerabilities of Syrian refugees and Lebanese host communities.

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.

RICCAR implementation is supported by two working groups and two task forces comprised of representatives from Arab Governments, Arab regional organizations, United Nations organizations serving the Arab region and international experts. The two working groups are technically and financially supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH under the project Adaptation to Climate Change in the Water Sector in the MENA Region (ACCWaM), which supports RICCAR.