Press release
30 Mar 2017
Beirut, Lebanon
ESCWA Bolstering Sudanese Data Systems, Economic Modeling and Decision-Making
Sudanese Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Majdi Hassan Yassin, who inaugurated the workshop, stressed on the full ministry support to this project and on availing from the expertise of ESCWA in terms of economic planning. Meanwhile, the General Manager of Africa City of Technology Osama Al Rais underscored the significance behind the technical assistance that ESCWA will provide in modeling and drafting data frameworks for the creation of governmental smart systems and a leadership panel for the development performance in Sudan.
The delegation from ESCWA was led by Director of the ESCWA Technology for Development Division (TDD) Haidar Fraihat who highlighted the need to make use of modern tools in economic planning and on the importance that all governmental and academic departments in Sudan take part in this project which is similarly significant to ESCWA.
Furthermore, the workshop delved into the key components of the project through discussion round tables involving a large number of academicians and experts in Sudan as well as representatives of the Presidency, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research.
At the end of the workshop, final touches were put on the agreement that ESCWA will sign with the Sudanese Government for the implementation of this project over the next year and a half.
ESCWA in brief
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 (ECOSOC). 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.
