Activities of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

The need to build a statistical network in the ESCWA region to provide for a regional approach to statistics and strengthen inter country coordination in the region prompted ESCWA to present a statistical network project to the Development Account. It was approved and ESCWA has started to implement the project: “Strengthening Statistical Capacity in the ESCWA countries”. The thematic areas that will be covered under the project in the next three years will be: a) organization and management of statistical systems, census content, management and data processing; b) environment statistics; and, c) disability statistics. The first meeting of the Projects Steering Committee was held in Oman in April 2002; the workshop on census data processing met in May 2002 in Amman; and the experts group meeting on census questionnaire development including disability questions met in June 2002 in Cairo.

In addition, every two years, ESCWA publishes Demographic and Related Socio-Economic Data Sheets for member States. The eleventh issue of the Data Sheets as assessed in 2000 provides the results of population estimates for 2000 as well as related demographic indicators. The purpose of the Data Sheets is to bridge the information gaps resulting from the ten-year interval between the two censuses, and to compensate for missing registration of vital statistics (death, birth, marriage and divorce).

Along similar lines, ESCWA is currently executing a programme for the development of national gender statistics in ten Arab countries, with Bahrain being the latest country to join the programme. The project is being financed by the Arab Gulf Progamme for UN Development Organizations with the aim of building national capacity in the areas of producing, using and disseminating statistics related to women and men with the collaboration of ministries, state departments and NGOs.

Given the need to enhance the information flow within the Arab region and beyond, ESCWA has been engaged in launching websites to help disseminate information and create links to internationally generated information data. One good example of this kind of work is the Population Information Network (POPIN) Arab States website which was launched in January 2002, with some financial support provided by DESA. The POPIN Arab State website provides a comprehensive population information gateway for the Arab region and offers direct access to population data and publications that are available on the web.

Another good example is the launching of a new version of the ESCWA-UNPAN website. As background information, UNPAN, the UN Public Administration Network was established in New York in 1996, with the aim of sharing experience and knowledge in sound public policies. All regional commission participate in UNPAN, and now ESCWA is a recognized UNPAN regional node for the Arab States with its own website: http://ww.escwa.org/ lb/unpan/index.html. In a more traditional manner, ESCWA is also preparing a programme for capacity building and human resources development for its members of the region, and organizing an Expert Group Meeting on “Public Administration Development” in collaboration with UNPAN.

In order to ensure that the benefits of globalization are shared by its member States, ESCWA organized an Expert Group Meeting in Abu Dhabi in January 2002, on ‘Competition Laws and Policies’ in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, UNCTAD and the World Bank Groups among others. The meeting served as a forum for dialogue between the private and the public sector on furthering national competition policy and its relationship with trade and investment, and was an opportunity to formulate guidelines for developing good practices in competition law and policies in the region.

Along these lines, ESCWA published a study on Globalization of Financial Markets: Implications for the ESCWA Region, pointing out that financial globalization presents large risks, but concluding that if the financial systems were to be properly managed, globalization would provide the region with the market discipline needed to cope successfully with the implications of globalization. Yet until such market discipline is acquired, closer official oversight in ESCWA member States will be the key to increasing the benefits and limiting the risks of financial globalization.

ESCWA also participated in the Commission on Globalization which was held at the London Business School in December 2001. The Commission on Globalization and ESCWA share the same approach to globalization: focus on the development of long term economic and environmental sustainability, and on the constructive reform of specific aspects of globalization so its benefits can be enjoyed equitably throughout the world.

The Al-Safadi Foundation and ESCWA signed a Memorandum of Understanding in January 2002, whereby the Safadi Foundation pledged $250,000 to the regional commission for promoting development activities important for Lebanon and the region.

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are the latest countries to sign the Agreement on International Roads in the Arab Mashreq, a cornerstone of ESCWA’s regional integration endeavours. Nine out of 13 of the Commission’s member States have now signed the Agreement which will interconnect the transport facilities (land, sea and air) of all the members into a harmonised transport system. The Agreement is open for ratification by other countries until 31 December 2002.

Responding to requests from officials and local communities in southern Lebanon, ESCWA decided to lead, at the field level, an effort to assist the region in their socio-economic development. The Commission has signed a contract with Association d-Aide au Development Rural, a local NGO with extensive experience in South Lebanon, to establish vocational training centres in response to the needs of the youth living in the area. The pilot project consists of three complementary components: vocational training, small business training and a micro-credit scheme. The idea is to give a number of vocational training courses followed by a small businesses course. Successful course participants can then apply for micro-credit financing to assist them in establishing small enterprises.

This project is one of many tracks that ESCWA is pursuing in its assistance to the area. The objective is to upgrade skills and build capacities in local communities that will open new economic horizons and discourage rural migration.

ESCWA, in cooperation with the World Bank and the Institute of Public Administration of Saudi Arabia, held a seminar in Riyadh in April 2002, on “The WTO Agenda Post Doha: Opportunities and Challenges for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Economies”. The aim of the seminar was to review existing WTO Agreements and to exchange lessons of experience from developing countries in implementing them. The seminar also assessed the preparedness of the GCC for the new round of trade negotiations on issues such as services, agriculture and market access.

ESCWA hosted the tenth Workshop on Regional Cooperation for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Asia-Pacific region, in March 2002. The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Mary Robinson, opened the workshop and she discussed regional human rights, related policies and programmes, and the role and activities of the Office of the UNHCR in the Arab world.

ESCWA Calendar
September
3 - 5	Workshop on International migration statistics
19 - 20	Fifth session of the Committee on Water Resources
October
1 - 3	Fifth session of the Statistical Committee
15-16	Expert group meeting on Water desalination and capacity-building
16-17	Fourth session of the Committee on Energy
November
(open)	Third session of the ESCWA Technical committee on Liberalization of Foreign Trade and Economic Globalization in the countries of the ESCWA region

Free Trade Areas in the Arab Region: Where do we go from here? (E/ESCWA/EC/2001/4)

Directory of Research and Development Institutes in the ESCWA Member Countries (E/ESCWA/TECH/2001/2)

Comparative Study of National Strategies and Policies with regard to Foreign Direct Investment in the ESCWA region (E/ESCWA/ED/2001/12)

Selected Social Indicators on Quality of Life in the ESCWA region (E/ESCWA/STAT/2001)