Kuwait Hosts Ninth Session of ESCWA Committee on Energy

The ninth session of the ESCWA Committee on Energy will begin on 12 June 2013 at 10:00AM in the Regency Hotel of Kuwait City with the participation of representatives from member countries specialized in the field of Energy. The election of the session’s officers will follow in accordance with the Arabic alphabetical order employed by the United Nations, whereby Libya will assume the chairmanship of the Session, Lebanon and Egypt the vice-chairmanship and Morocco the role of rapporteur. The ninth session of the Committee on Energy will tackle the progress achieved in the field of Energy in the ESCWA member countries; the projects achieved and those planned to be implemented in member countries; the adoption and implementation of renewable energy technologies in member countries; and the country papers on programmes and achievements of member countries in the field of Energy. Participants will also discuss the outcomes of international and regional meetings in the field of Energy, and especially those of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), and “The Intergovernmental Consultative Meeting on the Water-Energy Nexus in ESCWA Member Countries.” The ESCWA Committee on Energy was established pursuant to resolution 204 (D-18) dated 25 May 1995 endorsed by the UN Economic and Social Council in its resolution 1995/25 dated 24 July 1995, and in view of the crucial role played by the energy sector in supporting the programs of social and economic development in ESCWA Member States, and in light of the diversity of energy resources in these states that are not limited to oil and gas. Thus a close regional cooperation is needed to strengthen the capabilities of Member States for developing the use of renewable sources of energy through coordinating activities in the field of Energy and their impact on the environment, and particularly on climate change, and the bases of sustainable development. The ESCWA Committee on Energy convenes its meetings every two years. It is made up of representatives of ESCWA Member States specialized in the field of Energy. It undertakes the following tasks: participating in the establishment and formulation of priorities for programmes of work and medium-term plans in the field of Energy; monitoring the developments in the field of Energy in ESCWA Member States; monitoring the progress achieved in the activities of the ESCWA secretariat in the field of Energy; and following up on international and regional conferences and the participation of Member States in them, and coordinating Member States’ efforts in connection with the implementation of resolutions and recommendations. ESCWA The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations. It provides a framework for the formulation and harmonization of sectoral policies for member countries; a platform for congress and coordination; a home for expertise and knowledge, and an information observatory. ESCWA aims at supporting economic and social cooperation between the region’s countries and promoting development process in order to achieve regional integration. Libya, the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Tunisia became members of ESCWA in September 2012. By this new membership, the number of ESCWA countries rose to 17, including Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, The Sudan, The Syrian Arab Republic, The United Arab Emirates and Yemen.