Press release
15 Dec 2016
Doha-Beirut
ESCWA 29th Ministerial Council Wraps with Doha Declaration on the Implementation of 2030 Agenda
Ministers and high-level officials representing the member countries of ESCWA; representatives of United Nations agencies and programs; delegates of UN member countries non-members in ESCWA; the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Qatar and a score of officials; delegates of regional and international non-governmental organizations; delegates of donor institutions and foundations; as well as a crowd of regional and international experts took part in the event.
At the end of the meeting, Director of the International Technical Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Ambassador Tariq Bin Ali Al-Ansari, and ESCWA Secretary Karim Khalil held a media briefing to present the main outcomes of the ministerial session and the preparations that preceded it.
ESCWA, represented by its Deputy Executive Secretary Abdallah Al Dardari, had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Qatar, represented by Ambassador Al Ansari. The MoU focuses on technical cooperation and on availing from capacity building and training sessions.
ESCWA Ministerial Session, held bi-annually, represents its highest decision-making forum and mechanism.
ESCWA is one of the five UN regional commissions. It is part of the UN Secretariat, and works under the supervision of the Economic and Social Council. It provides a framework for the formulation and harmonisation of sectoral policies for member countries; a platform for congress and coordination; a home for expertise and knowledge, and an information observatory. It aims at supporting economic and social cooperation between the region’s countries and promoting development process in order to achieve regional integration.
Mauritania became member of ESCWA in October 2015. The Republic of Tunis, Libya, and the Kingdom of Morocco had joined it in September 2012. By those new memberships, the number of ESCWA countries rose to 18, including: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
*****
For more information:
Nabil Abu-Dargham +961-70-99 31 44
Ms. Mirane Abi-Zaki +961-76-04 64 02
dargham@un.org
abi-zaki@un.org
escwa-ciu@un.org
For more ESCWA news, please visit:
Website: www.unescwa.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/unescwa Twitter: @ESCWACIU
