Given the changing business environment of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries, the need for mechanisms aimed at enhancing technology transfer and at channelling investment has become vital for the improvement of the productivity and competitiveness of SMEs. The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development identified technology transfer as one of the major instruments for assisting developing countries to move towards sustainable development.

The Compendium of Environment Statistics in the ESCWA Region seeks to set a framework for compiling environment statistics for the ESCWA region undertaken by ESCWA in close collaboration with the United Nations Statistics Division and the United Nations Environment Programme and aims at strengthening the capacity of member countries.

This report focuses on gender equality as a core element for achieving sustainable development and gender mainstreaming as a strategy to address inequalities.

The thirteenth issue of the Bulletin on Population and Vital Statistics in the ESCWA Region disseminates data on population size and composition, and on vital events, namely fertility, mortality, marriage and divorce in ESCWA member countries for the period 2000-2009. Data were drawn from different national sources including surveys, censuses and civil registration systems and were compiled mainly from questionnaires prepared by ESCWA and filled by member countries. For accuracy purposes, data have been checked for reliability.