Development generates such major forces as rural-urban migration, population growth and socio-economic developments. This study sheds light on the role of these major forces in shaping the character of the Arab city and presents the results of a comparative analysis of three case studies, namely, Amman, with its challenge of continuous growth; Beirut and its reconstruction predicament; and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, as the city of many cities.

UN-ESCWA is organizing a workshop on the compilation of statistics of international trade in service from 6 to 9 February 2007 at the Ramses Hilton Hotel, Cairo.

The water supply and demand balance in most of ESCWA member countries is in serious deficit. The average share of renewable freshwater in 8 out of 14 member countries is 500 cubic meters per capita per year, or less than half of the internationally accepted water poverty threshold of 1,000 cubic meters per capita per year. Desalination, which has been practiced for more than 50 years in the ESCWA region, has emerged as the primary response to water scarcity in several countries.

The Expert Group Meeting on “Development Under Crisis Conditions” (Beirut, 27-28 June 2006) aimed at reaching a common understanding of the impact of conflict on socio-economic and political development in the region. It also sought to identify means of assisting member states in pursuing their Millennium Development Goals despite instability and political volatility. The meeting examined comparative experiences with development implementation under crisis conditions in three locales: Iraq, the Palestinian Territories, and Lebanon.