Press release

17 Sep 2014

Tunis

ESCWA 28th Ministerial Session Kicks Off,
Discusses Social Justice in Arab Region

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Arab ministers and senior regional and foreign officials took part today in the opening of the 28th ministerial session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), a key regional event hosted by the Tunisian government, and held under the patronage of the President of the Republic, Mr. Moncef Al Marzouki. In the opening session, Arab and foreign diplomats and senior officials listened to statements that echoed Arab concerns and aspirations towards a better tomorrow guided by social justice. Speakers were Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Tunis Salem Issa Al Zaabi, whose country chaired the 27th session of ESCWA; Minister of State of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain Ghanem al-Buainain, whose country is chairing the 28th session of ESCWA; UN Under-Secretary-General and ESCWA Executive Secretary Rima Khalaf; and Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Al Mongi Hamdi. The message of the UN Secretary-General to the event was read by ESCWA Deputy Executive Secretary Nadim Khouri. Following the statements, the audience watched a documentary filmed on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of ESCWA, which showcased the most important events during these years. Al Zaabi In his statement, Al Zaabi highlighted the achievements of the past session, namely the expansion of ESCWA to encompass three new countries, i.e. Tunisia, Morocco, and Libya.This expansion has enabled ESCWA to offer its services in a more comprehensive way with regional institutions such as the League of Arab States (LAS). He noted that in cooperation with LAS, ESCWA has played a leading role in the follow-up of the resolutions of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), and transmitted the priorities of the Arab region to the ongoing global dialogues on the post-2015 development agenda. Al Zaabi stressed the importance of regional integration. The experience of regional integration has proven its success all over the world, and while the region was a pioneer in establishing integration and cooperation agreements, it only achieved a few of them. He concluded by mentioning that his country has taken many initiatives in the context of economic integration. Ban’s Message ESCWA Deputy Executive Secretary was then invited to read the message of UN Secretary-General Ba Ki-moon, in which he said, “You have come together to focus on the theme of Social Justice in the Arab Region. From Morocco to Iraq and from Sudan to Tunisia, over 400 million citizens call the Arab region home. Their voice and demands are resoundingly clear: a more just society and a shared, prosperous future founded on respect for fundamental human rights. Yet like much of the world, the region faces many obstacles: poverty, geographic disparity, inequitable distribution of social services, unemployment and exclusion. Conflict in its many forms throughout the region only serves to compound the social justice challenge. This Ministerial Session provides an opportunity to exchange views, forge consensus and harmonize approaches. As the international community works to develop a new framework for sustainable development for the coming years, your discussions and the ongoing work of ESCWA will help ensure that local and national considerations feed into the Arab regional perspective and enrich the global effort to meet this vital goal...” Al-Buainain In his speech, Minister Al-Buainin considered the choice of social justice as the central issue of the current session to be much appreciated by his country. This issue truly reflects the thinking in Arab countries concerning social justice to fulfill the aspirations and ambitions of the Arab citizen. He noted the challenges witnessed by the Arab region, and the economic repercussions they left over most countries of the region such as the increase of youth unemployment and poverty; the challenges of food security; the lack of a healthy environment; the excessive consumption of natural resources; population increase; and the absence of a concept of knowledge economy and innovation. According to Al-Buainin, this requires a reevaluation and a review of development policies that have been in place for a long time, to replace them with a new development paradigm on the basis of comprehensive and integrated studies and projects, to be implemented and pave the way for the achievement of sustainable development that satisfies the needs of all groups and ensures their participation in decision-making and in the economic and political life. Khalaf Then Executive Secretary Rima Khalaf delivered her opening statement, and said: “Over the next two days, we will explore the concept of social justice in our societies. We will examine its prospects, review its definition and work diligently to develop effective tools for its measurement. I hope that our efforts will lay the foundation of a common vision that we can present to our peoples and the world; a vision that reaffirms our commitment to the concept of social justice and its practical implementation. We strive for its realization as it is the highest of all values. We also strive for it as a means to achieving security, since its absence can only lead to fragmentation and the collapse of nations. Decision makers in the Arab region have not overlooked social justice. They have endeavoured to implement laudable development plans to build infrastructure, improve education and health-care services for all and reach growth rates commended by international funding organizations. Such achievements speak for themselves, so why did the Arab youth revolt? Why do we currently find ourselves in this bleak situation? Undoubtedly, the current state of affairs in the Arab region does not bode well or evoke confidence. Oppression, poverty and unemployment rob their victims of their thirst for life. Conflict among brothers destroys civilizations and deeply scars souls. Exclusionary tendencies spread like wildfire, fuelling the scourge of hatred and extremism. Obscurantist forces sow the seeds of sectarian strife, engulfing people and livelihoods and unravelling the fabric of society. Entire nations are ransacked and torn apart by whim or vested interest.” She added: “(...)Today, we meet under difficult conditions, where hope is struggling against despair and bad omens linger everywhere. The oppression that brought about the noblest of forces also gave rise to destructive currents. A new alliance, that has historically had an ambiguous relationship with terrorism, is now being formed to combat it. In one war, it nurtured and funded terrorist groups to eradicate a common enemy; in another, it brought them to our land and provided a conducive environment in which they could take root and spread. Yet again, our skies will exhibit the latest weaponry and our cities will be their testing grounds. This will happen time and time again if we do not protect ourselves and strive to eliminate the injustices that push our people towards discontent, despair and ultimately extremism. Only justice can overcome unjustness, which in turn can only be achieved through freedom; the freedom of individuals in their nations and the freedom of nations from colonization and foreign domination. Freedom and justice are the pillars of the productive and inclusive societies demanded by our peoples; they are the foundations of the regional integration dream that carries the hopes of all Arabs for dignity and prosperity.” Hamdi For his part, Minister Hamdi said that the theme of the session, “Social Justice in the Public Policies of Arab States” is of an interest to all governments of the world, especially those of Arab countries. It is also at the heart of concerns for politicians, civil society activists, academia, researchers and the general public, he said, adding that the key reason for imbalances inside countries is essentially the absence of justice, which increases poverty, the lack of equal opportunity, inequality, and widens gap between social categories, leading to a feeling of marginalization in some. Hamdi went on to say that the present period is a delicate turning point governed by troubled political conditions in the region and huge security challenges, with growing economic challenges. These circumstances, he believed, require concerted efforts to build societies on the basis of social justice, stability and social peace for coming generations. All stakeholders are required to review the plans of economic and social development in Arab countries, he said. This development shift should generalize the principle of social justice and espouse policies and strategies to ensure its realization as part of a new development paradigm (…) that will require Hamdi seized the opportunity to renew Tunis’ full support of initiatives aiming to boost Arab cooperation and Arab economic partnership, and achieve real economic and social linkages between our countries. In this context, he praised the ESCWA report on Arab Integration launched in Tunis in February 2014, which tackled the issue by evaluating its history, analyzing the reasons for its failure and offering new and practical ways to revive it. The deliberations on the first day of the session focused on the subject of social justice and the new development approach, and the economic policies supportive of social justice. On the sidelines of the session, ESCWA launched a report entitled “Arab Middle Class: A Force for Change”. The Commission, represented by Executive Secretary Rima Khalaf, also signed a memorandum of understanding on a framework of technical cooperation with the Government of Tunisia, represented by Minister of Economy and Finance Hakim Bin Hammouda. **** For more information, please visit: http://www.escwa.un.org/about/gov/sessions/maine.asp?lang=e&ID=173 Or contact: ESCWA Communication and Information Unit (ECIU): +961-70-993144/76-046402/ 03-910 930 dargham@un.org, abi-zaki@un.org, sleiman2@un.org, escwa-ciu@un.org United Nations Information Centre-Tunis: +216-71902203/71906615 +216-22-487247/+216-20-300110 kaouther.bizani@unic.org, bizani@un.org, samia.sfar@unic.org, sfar@un.org
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