ESCWA convened the first Technical Advisory Group on Economic Statistics (TAGES) for the Arab Region on 9 and 10 November 2016, in Cairo.
 
The meeting was attended by 21 participants representing 10 countries and 8 regional and international organizations. Palestine was elected as chair of the group and Morocco as co-chair, while ESCWA acted as secretariat. The ESCWA Statistical Committee recommended the establishment of this technical advisory group during its eleventh session in 2015.
 

Beirut, 21 January 2016 (Communication and Information Unit)--Military conflicts and the slump in oil prices, combined with a world economy that stumbled in 2015, are holding back economic growth  in Western Asia according to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects 2016 report that was released today.

In the framework of addressing the Water - Energy nexus, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is organizing in collaboration with UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and support from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Sub-Fund, an Expert Group Meeting on “Enhancing capacity building addressing Water and Energy interlinkages for Sustainable Development in the Arab Region”.
 The objective of this Meeting is to strengthen the capacity of ESCWA member countries and other relevant stakeholders in terms of enhancing their ability to achieve an integrated and sustainable management of water and energy resources through South-South cooperation, thereby contributing to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It intends to facilitate exchange of lessons, insights and experiences to-date among Member States and all stakeholders and to consider challenges and opportunities for furthering progress towards 2030.