The Fifth Session of the UN-ESCWA Technical Committee on Liberalization of Foreign Trade and Economic Globalization will convene at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Beirut from 24 to 26 April 2007. The meetings will be attended by representatives of the ministries of trade and finance in member countries, in addition to representatives of relevant international and regional organizations as observers.

UN-ESCWA has published the “Survey of Economic and Social Developments in Western Asia, 2005-2006”. The annual publication outlines a set of economic policy principles aimed at contributing to the design of development strategies in the region. The principles are employment-intensive, pro-poor and based on human rights. The Survey was completed before the conflict in Lebanon of July-August 2006. Consequently, some of the economic indicators set forth in this year’s publication, particularly with regard to Lebanon, will need to be revised in a subsequent issue.

Lebanese Minister of Economy and Trade Sami Haddad and Executive Secretary Mervat Tallawy will hold a press conference to launch the annual study prepared by UN-ESCWA entitled “Annual Review of Developments in Globalization and Regional Integration in the Arab Countries”. The press conference will be held at 10 am on Friday 18 May 2007 at the Safir Heliopolitan Hotel in Beirut.

Beirut, 27 July 2007 (UN Information Services)-- On 30-31 July 2007, Cairo will host a workshop organized by UN-ESCWA on “Evaluation and Adaptation of Existing Water Visions and Forecasts for Shared Aquifer Management in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership Region (MEDA)”, which includes Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, and Palestine (Gaza and the West bank) at the Mena House Oberoi Hotel. Participants in the meeting, which will open at 10:00 am on Monday 30 July 2007, will be representatives of water management institutions in selected MEDA countries.