The economies of most Arab countries were less affected by the global financial crisis compared to other economies. Several factors contributed to the alleviation of the impact of the crisis on Arab countries, including the minimal dependency of non-oil producing economies, especially financial markets, on the global economy; and the flexibility acquired by major oil-producing countries from their cash reserves. This issue of the Annual Review examines the impact of the global financial crisis on the Arab economies.

The workshop will present and develop further the proposed Institutional Gaps Assessment Methodology and tools by the workforce planning team in the State of Palestine. This workshop will serve to further a Palestinian-specific institutional gaps assessment methodology, where senior civil servants continue to build on the previous workshop in advancing good governance into public institutions.

The five United Nations Regional Commissions namely, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), are jointly organizing with the government of Tunisia “The Fifth International Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development", on 4-7 November, in Hammamet, Tunisia.