United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)

Q1. How have the COVID-19 pandemic and the current food, energy and financing crises changed the priorities of your organization? 

As countries struggle to respond to shocks amidst shrinking fiscal space, work is increasingly focused on policy solutions for difficult financial contexts. To this end, ESCWA is developing approaches to Integrated National Financing Frameworks, providing analytical work to support tax reform in the region, and encouraging innovative tools for reducing debt burdens while funding climate action.

At the same time, deepening inequalities and uneven impacts of the crises have led to a renewed focus on resilience and equity, which have been mainstreamed across the organization’s work. In 2022 this commitment included focusing the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development on opportunities for recovery efforts to accelerate SDG progress and strengthen social inclusion; publishing 8 new reports analyzing the impacts of crises and suggesting pathways forward in a variety of sectors, including on topics such as social protection, food security, gender equality, and urban resilience; developing technical materials and toolkits to assist countries in estimating the impacts of shocks or modeling the results of of shifts in spending; and holding workshops to build capacities necessary to overcome current crises and prepare for future challenges.

Q2. How has your organization supported Member States to accelerate their recovery from COVID-19 and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda? How has your organization cooperated with other UN system organizations in these efforts to achieve coherence and synergies?

ESCWA has continued to work with UN partners to support recovery and SDG implementation activities in the Arab region. Examples of interagency partnerships in 2022 include organizing the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development, launching the first Arab SMEs summit, and maintaining a tracker of COVID-19 stimulus measures taken around the world to help inform policymakers and other stakeholders of actions taken amidst the crisis. Other ongoing partnerships have focused on building tools to support advances in diverse policy areas, including social protection, financing for development, climate change, sustainable urban development, technology, and many others.

Please highlight up to three high-impact initiatives, especially those that address interlinkages among the SDGs and involves interagency collaboration. Concrete initiatives might be selected to be spotlighted during relevant intergovernmental meetings.

Initiative	Arab Forum for Sustainable Development, 2022 (AFSD-2022)
Partners	the League of Arab States and UN entities operating in the Arab Region. Representatives from partner organizations assisted in planning plenaries and special sessions related to their mandates through the AFSD-2022 interagency taskforce.
Relevant SDGs	All SDGs, with a focus on SDGs under review for 2022 (4, 5, 14, 15, 17)
Member States benefiting from the initiative	All Arab States (Algeria, Comoros, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Sudan, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen)
Description	The Arab Forum for Sustainable Development is the primary regional mechanism for the follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Arab region. AFSD’s outcomes are the formal voice of the region to the High-Level Political Forum held annually in New York. The AFSD outcome report communicates key messages emanating from regional dialogues on the opportunities and challenges of implementing the 2030 Agenda and reports progress on sustainable development priorities. As a multi-stakeholder event, AFSD convenes representatives from government, civil society, youth organizations, parliaments, academia, research centres, think tanks, the private sector, and the media. AFSD-2022 was held in hybrid format from 15-17 March 2022 under the theme “Recovery and Resilience.” Sessions highlighted the impact of COVID-19 on critical priority areas, and highlighted strategies and policies that can help the region move forward to ensure a robust recovery from the crisis.
Website	https://afsd-2022.unescwa.org/

 

Initiative	Arab SMEs Summit 2022
Partners	UNCTAD, UNWTO, UNIDO, the International Trade Centre, ICC, the Union for the Mediterranean, and Jordan’s Ministries of Planning and International Cooperation and of Industry, Trade and Supply
Relevant SDGs	8, 9, 13, 17
Member States benefiting from the initiative	All Arab States (Algeria, Comoros, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Sudan, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen)
Description	ESCWA organized the first Arab SME Summit in Amman, Jordan, which took place 30 October – 01 November. Convened under the theme “Opportunities Beyond Borders,” the summit aimed to expand the opportunities of small and medium enterprises regionally and internationally and expand partnerships amongst policymakers, business influencers, investors, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders in the Arab region. The summit aimed to help businesses access regional and international markets, mobilize financial resources, and bring activities to scale while advocating for inclusive policies and strategies needed to support SMEs. Over the three days of the summit, these objectives were advanced through focuses on market access and global value chains, financial opportunities and green growth, and digitalization and disruptive innovation. Commitments emerging from the summit included $130 million in funding for SMEs in the region, digitalization support for 100 enterprises, upscaling assistance for more than 50 SMEs, training for 40,000 young people, technical assistance for more than 400 SMEs, and launching new centres of entrepreneurship in Morocco and Saudi Arabia.
Website	https://asmes-2022.unescwa.org/

Initiative	COVID-19 Stimulus Tracker: Global Observatory on Social protection and Economic Policy Responses
Partners	ECA is the main partner who contributed to the content of the Tracker by reviewing and endorsing the content related to Africa. The Tracker also builds on the input provided by ESCAP & ECLAC.
Relevant SDGs	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 16 & 17
Member States benefiting from the initiative	All 193 UN Member States
Description	The COVID-19 stimulus tracker serves as a global observatory for social protection and economic policy responses launched by United Nations member states in response to the pandemic. The Tracker includes social protection and economic policy responses announced by Governments (government fiscal support) and central banks (central bank liquidity support). The tracker also includes measures taken by external entities (international financial institutions and UN entities) in the case of conflict-affected countries. The presentation of information enables comparison of national policy support vis-à-vis global, regional, and income-group levels. Information in the Stimulus Tracker is presented using a dynamic visualization platform to facilitate user-friendly navigation. It is a living database, benefiting from periodic updates. It is a hands-on tool for policymakers, practitioners and researchers for situation assessment and determination of social protection system profiles through country and regional comparison.
Website	https://tracker.unescwa.org/

Q3. Has your organization published or is it planning to publish any analytical work or guidance note or toolkits to guide and support recovery efforts from COVID-19 while advancing full implementation of SDGs at national, regional and global levels? 

ESCWA has mainstreamed COVID-19 into its publications, including those on SDG implementation. Major initiatives that have analyzed the impact of the COVID-19 on the attainment of the SDGs in the Arab region include a series of policy briefs examining the pandemic’s socio-economic impact on the region and the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development Background Note series, which examines the pandemic’s impact on specific SDGs in Arab countries. Further, ESCWA has assisted member states in deploying analytical tools, such as Computable General Equilibrium Modeling, to model the impact of shocks and potential policy responses on their economies.

Please select up to three high-impact resources to highlight, especially those that address interlinkages among the SDGs. Selected resources will be highlighted to inform relevant intergovernmental meetings.

Resource	Socioeconomic Impact of COVID-19: Policy Briefs
Publishing entity/entities	ESCWA
Relevant SDGs	All SDGs
Target audience	Government policymakers and other stakeholders, including civil society and academia
Description	Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, ESCWA has published 19 policy briefs assessing the impact of the pandemic on different aspects of socioeconomic recovery, with the aim of supporting Arab governments to build forward better. In addition to impact analysis, the policy briefs highlight government responses through examples and case studies and offer actionable policy recommendations for Arab governments. Topics for the briefs were chosen according to the scale of the impact and importance for the Arab region, including poverty, food security, gender equality, water, trade, foreign direct investment, financial systems, youth, older persons, transport, and financing. 2022 additions to the series included a brief on wealth inequality and a brief on fiscal space and social protection.
Website	https://www.unescwa.org/publications/socioeconomic-impact-covid-19-poli…
Language	English, Arabic

Resource	Realities and Prospects: Survey of Economic and Social Developments in the Arab Region 2020-2021
Publishing entity/entities	ESCWA
Relevant SDGs	1, 5, 8, 17
Target audience	Government policymakers and other stakeholders interested in sustainable development in the Arab region
Description	The Survey of Economic and Social Developments in the Arab Region 2020-2021 analyzes socioeconomic developments in the Arab region from January 2020 through June 2021. The report seeks to contribute to efforts by member states to reform economic institutions and promote inclusive and sustainable development through good governance. Key recommendations include that Arab governments follow through on tax reforms to make taxation fairer and more progressive, with simpler and more transparent procedures for better tax compliance. It further calls for cross-border tax cooperation at the regional and international levels to coordinate incentives, review treaties, and reinforce transparency.
Website	https://publications.unescwa.org/projects/escwa-survey-2021/index.html
Language	English, Arabic

Resource	World Development Challenges Report: Development from a broader lens
Publishing entity/entities	ESCWA
Relevant SDGs	All SDGs
Target audience	Government policymakers and other stakeholders interested in sustainable development
Description	The World Development Challenges Report proposes a new global Development Challenges Index that measures shortfalls and achievements in three key and interdependent areas – Quality-Adjusted Human Development, Environmental Sustainability, and Good Governance. The report proposes a four-pronged action plan that cuts across these three components. These actions include strengthening environmental and health systems, building knowledge-based economies with integrated education and labour market systems, strengthening links between government effectiveness and democratic governance, and prioritizing the most challenges countries.
Website	https://www.unescwa.org/publications/world-development-challenges-broad…
Language	English, Arabic

 

Q4. How has your organization engaged with stakeholder groups to support SDG implementation and COVID-19 recovery at national, regional and global levels? Please provide main highlights, including any lessons learned. For example, what has worked particularly well as a model for effective stakeholder engagement? 

ESCWA has focused efforts on building the capacities of key stakeholders to participate more fully in the region’s implementation of the 2030 Agenda. This includes continued engagement with parliamentarians to support their role in formulating and reviewing sustainable development policies through an annual forum, convened this year under the theme “Strengthening Parliamentary Engagement in Climate Action.” ESCWA has also sought to strengthen the role of Supreme Audit Institutions in the monitoring and evaluation of progress on the 2030 Agenda, and hosted a special session by the Arab Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ARABOSAI) at the 2022 Arab Forum for Sustainable Development on the role of supreme audit institutions in supporting recovery and SDG implementation.

Other partnerships have included work with civil society and business entities. Major achievements in 2022 included the launch of the Josour Initiative, which aims to link youth in the region with training and employment opportunities with the support of a range of partners, and the Arab SME summit, which resulted in strengthened partnerships between key stakeholders and commitments for funding and entrepreneurship support activities. 

If your organization has established multi-stakeholder partnership(s) in this regard, please describe them (name, partners involved, relevant SDGs, Member States benefiting from the partnership) and provide links to relevant websites for more information.

Partnership	Arab Forum for Sustainable Development, 2022 (AFSD-2022)
Partners	Partners included the League of Arab States and UN entities operating in the Arab Region. Representatives from partner organizations assisted in planning plenaries and special sessions related to their mandates through the AFSD-2022 interagency taskforce.
Relevant SDGs	All SDGs, with a focus on SDGs under review for 2022 (4, 5, 14, 15, 17)
Member States benefiting from it	All Arab States (Algeria, Comoros, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Sudan, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen)
Description	The Arab Forum for Sustainable Development is the primary regional mechanism for the follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Arab region. AFSD’s outcomes are the formal voice of the region to the High-Level Political Forum held annually in New York. The AFSD outcome report communicates key messages emanating from regional dialogues on the opportunities and challenges of implementing the 2030 Agenda and reports progress on sustainable development priorities. As a multi-stakeholder event, AFSD convenes representatives from government, civil society, youth organizations, parliaments, academia, research centres, think tanks, the private sector, and the media. AFSD-2022 was held in hybrid format from 15-17 March 2022 under the theme “Recovery and Resilience.” Sessions highlighted the impact of COVID-19 on critical priority areas, and highlighted strategies and policies that can help the region move forward to ensure a robust recovery from the crisis.
Website	https://afsd-2022.unescwa.org/

Partnership	Josour Initiative
Partners	Partners include Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just, and Inclusive Societies, the Union of Arab Banks, the Union of Arab Chambers, and other civil society and private-sector partners.
Relevant SDGs	1, 8, 10
Member States benefiting from it	All Arab States (Algeria, Comoros, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Sudan, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen)
Description	Josour is a regional initiative to reduce inequalities in the Arab region by creating employment opportunities for youth and providing training to young people to improve skills and increase employability. The initiative works to facilitate dialogues between youth and employers, prepare young people for the future of work, and identify and address discriminatory attitudes and practices in the labour market, particularly towards women and persons with disabilities. The Josour Initiative was launched during the inaugural Arab Forum for Equality (AFE-2022), which brought together stakeholders from government, the private sector, civil society, and academia to launch a multi-stakeholder dialogue on practical solutions to tackle inequality. The forum’s theme was “Towards inclusive youth employment in the Arab region.”
Website	https://afe-2022.unescwa.org/

Partnership	Arab Regional Parliamentary Forum on the 2030 Agenda
Partners	IPU and UNDP
Relevant SDGs	All SDGs
Member States benefiting from it	All Arab States (Algeria, Comoros, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Sudan, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen)
Description	The 2022 Arab Parliamentary Forum on the 2030 Agenda, convened under the theme of Strengthening Parliamentary Engagement in Climate Action in the Arab Region, will emphasize the role that climate change adaptation measures can have on addressing the socio-economic repercussions of climate change and accelerating achievement of all SDGs. The forum comes as the region is set to host both COP-27 (Egypt) and COP-28 (United Arab Emirates). Discussions will highlight existing and effective mechanisms for strengthening parliamentary engagement in shaping policy frameworks and implementing the SDGs and climate commitments through legislative, oversight, and budgetary roles. The forum is scheduled to take place in-person in Beirut from 29-30 November 2022.
Website	https://www.unescwa.org/events/2022-arab-regional-parliamentary-forum-2…

Information about more partnerships could be found: https://publications.unescwa.org/projects/isf/index.html

Q5. In the 2019 SDG Summit declaration (GA Resolution 74/4), Member States outlined ten priority areas for accelerated action in SDG implementation. Please highlight any major integrated and innovative policies or initiatives that your organization may have adopted in these ten priority areas:

5.1 leaving no one behind; 

Aging and older persons: In 2022, ESCWA launched its report titled “Building Forward Better for Older Persons in the Arab Region.” The report reflects on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and offers a roadmap of policy actions that can empower and protect older persons. ESCWA is supporting 7 member states to develop coherence policies for older persons. ESCWA has also focused on building policy makers’ capacities to respond to ageing and older persons’ issues through a series of national and regional workshops. ESCWA worked with other regional partners for the 4th regional review of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing in the Arab region. Digital Inclusion: The Arab Digital Inclusion Platform (ADIP) was launched in 2020 to support policy and decision makers in developing or improving national policies and related action plans and guidelines for enhanced e-Accessibility, which will contribute to bridging the digital divide and enabling equal access for all, with a focus on people with disabilities. The platform allows policymakers to use policy templates and other technical and diagnostic tools to enhance e-accessibility frameworks. The ADIP project was awarded the 2022 Champion Prize of the World Summit on the Information Society. To increase policy makers’ and other stakeholders’ comfort with these tools, ESCWA has held meetings, consultations, and capacity building workshops to support efforts to enhance e-accessibility in the region. Currently, ESCWA is supporting national rollouts in three member countries (the State of Palestine, the Syrian Arab Republic, and the United Arab Emirates) to develop their national e-accessibility policies. Social Protection: ESCWA offers demand-based technical support to member states on social protection tailored to countries’ specific reform design or implementation bottlenecks. In 2022, ESCWA organized peer-exchange meetings in response to requests from Egypt and Jordan, during which officials from countries that have managed to overcome problems of interest provided technical inputs to shed light on the “how” of successful reform design or implementation. In addition to this tailored approach, in 2022 ESCWA developed a standardized, comprehensive national social protection policy and program analysis tool that offers a detailed overview of a country’s social protection systems, reform needs, and reform options based on data and information provided by member states. Moving forward, the resulting social protection country profiles will inform and support evidence-based decision making in member states on how best to address key reform bottlenecks.

5.2 mobilizing adequate and well-directed financing; 

Climate / SDGs Debt Swap - Donor Nexus Initiative: ESCWA’s Climate/SDGs Debt Swap Initiative assists countries in improving fiscal space for financing SDGs and climate action while reducing their debt burdens. The Initiative converts national debt-serving payments on foreign debt into domestic investment for implementing climate-resilient projects through collaborative arrangements between debtors, creditors and donors. For debtor countries, it provides relief from the payment of interest on external debt, while increasing sustainable public investment in climate-resilient projects that advance the SDGs and the Paris Agreement. For creditors, the amount of the debt swap allocated for climate-resilient projects increases the official development assistance disbursement/climate finance pledges that accelerate the implementation of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement, without additional burden to their budgets. ESCWA took concrete steps toward supporting member states to operationalize this initiative in 2021, including the establishment of an Advisory Committee on debt swap and climate finance. ESCWA has assisted Jordan to establish a national inter-agency taskforce that supports the implementation of the initiative. Further work is underway to provide technical assistance to other interested member states, such as Egypt and Tunisia, to further operationalize the initiative.

Social Expenditure Monitor: To assist countries in directing public expenditure to the most impactful social development programmes and policies, ESCWA’s Social Expenditure Monitor provides a comprehensive mapping of public spending in participating countries to inform budgeting and social policy reforms. The SEM aligns with the SDGs by providing comprehensive measures of expenditures in areas including education, health, labour market policies, social protection, environmental protection, and more. The data is further broken down according to specific indicators for each category, and the beneficiaries targeted by spending. The SEM also allows policymakers to simulate the effects of various levels of expenditure and efficiency on human development outcomes.

Integrated National Financing Frameworks: To support member states in financing their recoveries and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda, ESCWA has partnered with DESA and UNDP in developing Integrated National Financing Frameworks that offer detailed diagnostics of the financing instruments, channels, and non-financial tools available to countries in the Arab region to mobilize financing to achieve the SDGs. The frameworks offer country-tailored SDF costing simulations, projections of financing needs, synergies, and densities, estimates of funding gaps and lost opportunities in the form of a scorecard, and investment efficiency assessments. The frameworks further map a country’s financing for development landscape, identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and support the development of policies and reforms to finance sustainable development.

Islamic Social Finance: Throughout 2021, ESCWA support the 12-part dialogue series on Islamic Social Finance and the SDGs that was jointly organized by the United Nations and the Islamic Development Bank, which engaged stakeholders on ways to unlock the potential of Islamic social finance to support global efforts to respond to the pandemic while ending extreme poverty, boosting economic development, and achieving the SDGs. The resulting report, released in 2022, offers recommendations for enriching existing mechanisms, identifying gaps, and using Islamic social financing in new ways to achieve the SDGs.

5.3 enhancing national implementation

Since 2019, ESCWA in cooperation with UN DESA and the League of Arab States, has organized a series of regional workshops focused on Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) to provide a platform for dialogue and peer learning to enhance VNR processes in Arab states. Each workshop takes stock of the experiences of Arab countries that presented VNRs in the earlier cycle and informs the preparatory process for countries planning to present a VNR in the following cycle. Workshops also focus on an area of priority to the Arab states that is relevant to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and follow-up and review processes. The 6th VNR Workshop, was held online in February 2022, as five Arab countries (Djibouti, Jordan, Somalia, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates) prepared to present VNRs at the HLPF. This workshop focused on mainstreaming gender equality in VNRs. The 7th regional VNR workshop, held in October 2022, discussed approaches to private sector engagement in the 2030 Agenda, and the role that this sector can play as a partner in the implementation, follow-up, and review process.

5.4 strengthening institutions for more integrated solutions

ESCWA has developed several tools to develop the capacities and resources of public institutions and enhance the competencies of their employees for achieving national priorities and progressing on the SDGs. These tools include: - The Common Arab Framework of Job Competencies for Senior Civil Servants: Developed through a series of technical workshops with the participation of 26 civil servants from eleven Arab countries, this process resulted in a common framework that was adopted by the 11 countries and launched during a meeting attended by several ministers in December 2020. In 2022, ESCWA continued the next phase of the process, which involved training civil servants in the region on the competencies identified in the framework. Through a partnership with Cornell University, these efforts were complimented by translating the “Leadership in the Public Sector” program and making it available to 27 participants from 10 countries. - The institutional gaps assessment methodology has been employed in central and decentralized institutions in Iraq, Yemen, and Palestine to assess the institutional capacities and competencies of these countries to meet national development priorities. In addition to identifying gaps and developing response programs, these processes have resulted in trainings of trainers and the adoption of the methodology in the assessment and training tools of concerned institutions. - The Strategic Planning in Fragile Settings Program aims to raise the strategic planning capacities of officials working in conditions of fragility through an approach that combines emergency aid management and laying the foundations of knowledge and applications for sustainable development programs that support transitions to recovery and peace. The program was implemented with the Yemeni Ministry of Planning and International Coordination in 2021 and the Iraqi Ministry of Planning at the level of national and local institutions in 2022.

5.5 bolstering local action

ESCWA leads the implementation of the global project on interregional cooperation for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda project (2020-2023), which includes two cities from the Arab region (Amman, Jordan and Agadir, Morocco). Project objectives include improving policy coherence for the implementation and monitoring of the 2030 Agenda and the NUA. To support this initiative, ESCWA has worked with partners to generate localized knowledge on the New Urban Agenda in the form of manuals and e-learning material that support capacity building for national and local authorities and other relevant stakeholders. - In close coordination with UN-Habitat and the United Cities for Local and Regional Governments, ESCWA has supported Amman and Agadir in developing Voluntary Local Reviews of the 2030 Agenda, making these cities the first in the Arab region to undertake this process. Amman’s VLR was released in July 2022 alongside Jordan’s VNR during the HLPF. Technical support is currently being provided to the city of Agadir, with the VLR expected to launch in early 2023. - ESCWA’s contribution to the global project on Building Urban Economic Resilience During and After COVID-19 (2020-2022) has included work in 3 cities from the Arab region, namely Alexandria, Egypt, Beirut, Lebanon, and Kuwait, Kuwait. The project assists local governments to become more economically resilient by establishing performance baselines on urban economic resilience and designing recovery plans that tackle the challenges and gaps identified in key areas. The project generates knowledge products and tools to assist global, national, sub-national and local communities in achieving urban economic resilience and advocates for core concepts of the NUA such as strengthening resilience through inclusive processes that leave no one behind and employing digital solutions as means of implementation. It focuses on the role of local governments as active players in achieving sustainable urban development and calls for local level reviews in support of monitoring and following up on the progress made in implementing the NUA.

5.6 reducing disaster risk and building resilience

ESCWA supports regional mechanisms for disaster risk reduction (DRR), with a focus on linkages between DRR and climate change, including the Arab Partnership Meetings for DRR and the League of Arab States’ Arab Coordination Mechanism for DRR. ESCWA participated in RICCAR efforts to develop the Risk Assessment Framework for the Arab Region, which supports the development of risk-informed policies on DRR and climate forecasting. ESCWA, LAS, the World Meteorological Organization, and the Gulf Cooperation Council have convened 9 sessions of the Arab Climate Outlook Forum (ArabCOF) since 2017, which seeks to generate consensus on seasonal forecasting, conduct climate change assessments of extreme events, and provide meteorological services and products in response to various sector needs. The Arab Centre for Climate Change Policies (ACCCP) at ESCWA and the Asian and Pacific Centre for the Development of Disaster Information Management (APDIM) at UN-ESCAP are co-leading the working group on regional collaboration of the United Nations Coalition on Combating Sand and Dust Storms (SDS). This coalition aims to enhance understanding of SDS and their impacts, vulnerability, and resilience, with emphasis on transboundary and interregional cooperation.

5.7 solving challenges through international cooperation and enhancing the global partnership

ESCWA has established regional centres to facilitate cooperation amongst Arab countries and international partners to address the urgent challenges faced in the region. The Arab Centre for Climate Change Policies brings together a wide range of entities from within the UN system, the League of Arab States and its associated organs, and international development agencies committed to supporting climate action to address the implications of climate change on sustainable development in the Arab region. The centre’s support to member states takes the form of technical assistance and advisory services; capacity building for governments and other stakeholders; support to regional platforms for achieving consensus; promotion of integrated responses to climate-related challenges effecting key nexus areas; and disseminating knowledge products and data through a regional knowledge hub. The ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship, co-led with the International Chamber of Commerce, seeks to prepare and mobilize the next generation of entrepreneurs in the Arab region by building the capacities of relevant stakeholders including government agencies and other business enablers, and by nurturing SMEs through specialized programs. The centre aims to connect entrepreneurs to global markets, provide expertise to early-stage start-ups, help entrepreneurs strengthen their networks, and offer specialized training, mentoring, and support to help those seeking to establish, fund, manage, and expand their enterprises. ESCWA’s Technology Centre is a facilitating body for the Arab region established through a partnership with the League of Arab States, the International Chamber of Commerce, the Royal Scientific Society of Jordan, the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology of Egypt, Mercy Corps, CEWAS, and the West-Asia Nort-Africa Institute. The centre’s objectives include increasing the capacities of businesses to digitize, scale up, and access regional markets; enhance science, technology, and innovation roadmaps; advance green and frontier technologies, and empower youth and women to develop technology and entrepreneurship skills.

5.8 harnessing science, technology and innovation with a greater focus on digital transformation for sustainable development

ESCWA launched the “Advancing Digital Cooperation and Development- Arab States Action Programme (ADCD-ASAP)” in 2020, which is being implemented in cooperation with several regional and international organizations. ESCWA also pursued it efforts in implementing the Arab Internet Governance Forum (Arab IGF) that was launched in 2012. To bridge digital divides and promote the creation of quality content related to the Sustainable Development Goals in the Arab region, ESCWA launched the “ESCWA Digital Arabic Content Award for Sustainable Development” in 2021. Award winners for the first edition were announced during the 2022 Arab Regional Forum for Sustainable Development, and a new edition has been launched for announcement at the 2023 forum. ESCWA continued its initiative on open government in the Arab Region, and recently published the report “Digital Divides and Open Government” to demonstrate how such divides hinder open government efforts. ESCWA has continued developing the Open Government in the Arab Region Portal, which includes case studies from across the region on data, e-participation, access to information, and innovation in the public sector. Support has also been extended to member states to support the development of digital government transformation strategies, including in Mauritania, Jordan, and Iraq. To further the transformative potential of science, technology, and innovation to support transformation for sustainable development, ESCWA has also conducted a study on e-mobility as a transport solution for Arab countries, “Land E-Mobility Futures in the Arab Region: Options for Arab Decision Makers to Optimize for a Rapidly Advancing Megatrend” (releasing in 2022). The report discusses the accelerating increase of electric cars, trucks, and other vehicles, including within public transportations, and offers recommendations for how Arab countries can bring e-mobility to scale and reap the potential benefits of this megatrend.

5.9 investing in data and statistics for the SDGs

ESCWA has continued work to improve SDG data quality and improve data availability from national sources and facilitate the dissemination of quality SDG data through a regional hub (the Arab SDG Monitor). Further, In collaboration with 36 custodian agencies ESCWA developed the SDG Indicator Tool to facilitate production of comparable data through harmonized methods and instruments. The Tool is a dynamic search engine that provides countries with quick access to methodological guidance on recommended sources and data collection methods, including metadata, for each SDG indicator. Moreover, ESCWA has had ongoing collaboration with custodian agencies to host a series of webinars to build the capacities of countries on SDG indicators, including 5 in 2022. ESCWA has continued working with countries and custodian agencies to improve inter- and intra-institutional cooperation to increase and improve data flow among national institutions and with regional and global agencies.

Q6. Following the adoption ofthe 2022 Ministerial Declaration, please highlight any major integrated and innovative policies or initiatives that your organization may have adopted related to the below, if applicable:

6.1 Member States encouraged "the United Nations system and all relevant actors to take advantage of emerging technologies and their applications, as appropriate, in order to maximize impact and effectiveness in data analysis and collection and stress the need to bridge the digital gap among and within countries" (Paragraph 86)

ESCWA has sought to improve SDG data analysis at both the regional and national level through the establishment of the Arab SDG Monitor. The monitor targets all types of users, including regional analysts, national experts, and other stakeholders interested in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The monitor provides up-to-date information on Arab countries’ progress towards the SDGs, and tracks progress with various options for comparison and visualization. The Monitor allows for country- and regional-level comparisons since 2000, and projections for 2030 for SDG targets. It also provides assessments of statistical capacity at the country level, and highlights data gaps to help guide capacity development.

The Arab SDG Monitor is accessible at the following link: https://www.unescwa.org/portal/arab-sdg-monitor

6.2 Member States specifically called upon the UN system "to work with the newly established United Nations Food Systems Coordination Hub, hosted by FAO, to support Governments to develop and strengthen SDG-based national pathways for sustainable food systems transformation" (Paragraph 128)

ESCWA is coordinating with and participating regularly in the meetings of the UN Food Systems Coordination HUB along with other regional commissions and RCNYO. ESCWA is currently preparing a macro-level assessment of Arab food systems with special focus on vulnerable countries (LDCs and Countries in Conflict). In addition, ESCWA is working on a regional food systems monitoring structure building on its existing food security framework to identify the drivers, components, and outcomes of food systems in the Arab region.

Q7. The 2023 SDG Summit is expected to provide political leadership, guidance and recommendations for sustainable development and follow-up and review progress in the implementation of sustainable development commitments and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, including through national and regional consultations, which will mark the beginning of a new phase of accelerated progress towards the SDGs. In the lead up to the 2023 SDG Summit, please provide your organization’s recommendations on how to overcome challenges to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the SDGs, taking into account the thematic reviews and voluntary national reviews conducted to date. 

• Propose the creation of Regional digital public good alliances: The pandemic has highlighted the need for open-source digital solutions that can be deployed quickly by low- and middle-income countries, such as health information management systems, online learning solutions and e-commerce platforms for SMEs. A Regional Alliance could foster the collaborative development of such digital public goods that are people-centric and have the potential to reduce inequalities and accelerate the attainment of all SDGs.
• South-South Cooperation and Fund for Social Protection for the Arab Region: This would drive the development of governments’ capacities to deliver social protection to their populations, and also help Arab countries make social protection an impactful focal point for international financial mobilization to secure a basic standard of living for everyone in the region, including across borders (for migrants). The recommendation could also apply to other world regions.
• Enhance regional cooperation on areas of priority and high potential for regional integration including environmental issues (such as air pollution, climate change, biodiversity conservation, and water resources management), food security, green technology transfer, anti-corruption, and illicit financial flows.
• Advocate for donor states to live up to their commitment to spend 0.7% of their Gross National Income on Official Development Assistance.