"The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), in partnership with the League of Arab States (LAS) and the United Nations Environment Programme/Regional Office for West Asia (UNEP/ROWA), and in collaboration with the Ministry of Equipment and Environment in Tunisia, is organizing an Expert Meeting on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will be held on 18 and 19 November 2013 in Tunisia.

In light of a new wave of socioeconomic discontent in the Arab region, exemplified by the recent anti-austerity protests in Tunisia, there has been a reexamination of the relationship between economic reform and poverty reduction programs spearheaded by multilateral development banks, and the social and economic problems that countries have experienced.
 

The Arab region continues to face many challenges in its endeavour to embrace the principles of sustainable development. The rapid increase in population, acute water scarcity, food security, energy security, environmental deterioration, unsustainable consumption and production patterns in various sectors are the key persistent pressures that hinder the implementation of integrated policies in the region.

Beirut, 29 December 2017 (Communication and Information Unit) -- United Nations Under-Secretary-General and ESCWA Executive Secretary Mohamed Ali Alhakim called for enhancing cooperation between the Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission (LAEC), affiliated to the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS), in many projects “as we can benefit from the expertise of the Commission in the implementation of common mechanisms and programs related to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to the issues of climate change and their impact on nature and people.”