Concerned about the level of implementation of the 1993 System of National Accounts (1993 SNA) in the Western Asia region, and in view of the new challenges represented by the recent adoption of the 2008 System of National Accounts (2008 SNA), ESCWA conducted a survey in 2009 to explore the main obstacles hindering the full implementation by its member countries of the 1993 SNA fifteen years after its adoption.

Measuring the multifaceted information society is a very complex task. In the past, measurement approaches were confined to simply aggregating a variety of data on selected information and communications technology (ICT) indicators, adjusting the weight of some factors, and applying statistical tools. Those approaches, however, lacked theory and validation. While measuring the ever-changing ICT landscape might seem to be enough, this study emphasizes that societies are not exclusively driven by technology.

The study examines communal tension, animosity and conflict and uses Lebanon as a case study, identifying four building blocks as the root causes.

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.