In the presence of civic activists, civil society organizations, academics, social researchers, local leaders and politicians from Lebanon, Jordan, Bahrain, Tunisia, Syria, Libya, Morocco, Egypt, and Yemen, ESCWA launched today its new publication entitled “Promises of Spring: Citizenship and Civic Engagement in Democratic Transitions”.
The launching ceremony opened with a welcome note by Director of the ESCWA Social Development Division Frederico Neto, followed by a presentation on the said study by Chief of the Participatory Development Section Maha Yehya.

It was established with the aim of following up international and regional conferences on women, ensuring the participation of ESCWA member countries in those conferences and coordinating the efforts exerted by member countries and regional organizations in the implementation of resolutions and recommendations adopted by those conferences.

This regional Guidebook explores the different approaches in design, implementation and analysis of disability data collection in the Arab countries, in view of improving the standardization and implementation of the Washington Group Short Set on Functioning and related indicators used to capture data on people with disabilities.

This study recognizes the important role of the State as an engine of growth in achieving development goals, including its fundamental role in the development of the private sector. This is particularly relevant in countries affected by conflict in the ESCWA region due to the weak nature of the private sector and, therefore, the need for an increasingly responsible role of the State during the period of transition to a moreresilient and developed private sector.