Launch of “Assessing Arab Economic Integration Report” on
Trade in Services as a Driver of Growth and Development
Beirut, Lebanon, 8 November 2018
Trade in Services as a Driver of Growth and Development
Beirut, Lebanon, 8 November 2018
What: The UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is launching the second edition of Assessing Arab Economic Integration Report (AAEIR): Trade in Services as a Driver of Growth and Development, which looks into the role and importance of services in Arab economies in terms of output, export and employment shares of the services sectors.
When: Thursday 8 November 2018 at 11:00am
Where: ESCWA Headquarters, Riad el-Solh Square, Beirut, Lebanon
Why: The Assessing Arab Economic Integration Report, the first edition of which came out in 2015, aims at assessing the performance of Arab countries in global and regional economic integration, with a view to identifying challenges, opportunities and strategies to foster intraregional and global economic linkages. This edition of the report reviews the status of the service sector in the Arab region and issues related to the liberalization of services trade.
The focus on services is motivated by the fact that the services sector accounts for large and growing shares of output, employment and foreign direct investment. A diversified and competitive services sector is not only important in itself, but also for the productive efficiency of other sectors.
The achievements of most Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is directly linked to the capacity of Member States to achieve a sustained and pro-poor economic growth. Evidence from international experiences and the results presented in this report strongly show that the role of trade is a key element for achieving such strategy.
Who: Speakers will include:
- Hakim ben Hammouda, Former minister of Finance in Tunisia and former Chief Economist at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Professor of economics at the University of Grenoble
- Mohamed El Hacene, Director of the Economic Development and Integration Division (EDID) at ESCWA;
- Main authors of the report: Mohamed Chemingui, Mehmet Eris, and Nathalie Grand, Regional Integration Section, EDID, ESCWA.
The ESCWA Communication and Information Unit (ECIU) kindly asks media representatives wishing to cover this meeting to confirm their attendance at +96170008879 or +96170827372.
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For more information:
Mr. Nabil Abu-Dargham, Head of the ESCWA Communication and Information Unit:
+961-70-99 31 44; dargham@un.org
Ms. Rania Harb: +961-70-00 88 79; harb1@un.org
Ms. Mirna Mahfouz: +961-70-87 23 72; mahfouz@un.org
