ESCWA opened yesterday its regional meeting on the Follow-up to the Outcome of the World Summit on the Information Society in Damascus, with keynote speakers stressing the importance of building and strengthening the information society in the Arab region, to further push the development process. "Establishing the information society in our region requires the combination of efforts by the governments and the private sector, including regional training and research organizations", ESCWA Executive Secretary Bader AlDafa said.

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

UNESCWA Executive Secretary Mervat Tallawy commended the cooperation of the host country, Lebanon, on all levels, particularly security and development, as well as the attention of the Ambassadors of UNESCWA member countries in their capacity as representatives enhancing communication between the Secretariat and the governments of their countries.

UNESCWA Executive Secretary Mervat Tallawy said that by 2015, it is projected that 82 million people in the Arab world will lack access to safe water and 124 million people will not be able to get basic water treatment utilities if urgent measures are not taken to improve the present situation. Tallawy was speaking at the opening of a technical cooperation meeting held by UNESCWA and German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) at the Conrad Hotel, Cairo, from 4 to 6 September 2006 under the aegis of Egyptian Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Development Ahmed Al Maghraby.