Press release

3 Sep 2014

Beirut

Tunisia Hosts Regional Commission's Ministerial Council to Boost Social Justice in the Region

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Under the banner of “Social Justice in the Policies of Arab States”, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) will hold its 28th Session from 15 to 18 September 2014 in the Regency Hotel, Tunis. The Session will highlight the importance of Arab cooperation in establishing new development models to meet growing demands for social justice and equality. Held under the auspices of Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, the Session will be attended by ministerial representatives of the 17 member countries of ESCWA as well as observer countries, representatives from United Nations agencies, accredited diplomats and representatives of regional and international non-governmental organizations. Also in attendance will be research institutions, donor agencies, and a host of international thought leaders on social and economic development. Held every two years, the Ministerial Session is the governing body of ESCWA. It will include a senior officials' segment, on 15-16 September, and a ministerial segment, on 17-18 September. The 28th Session will comprise four roundtable discussions, led by prominent regional and international intellectuals, centered on the following issues: the new development approach; economic policies supportive of social justice; intergenerational justice and access to natural resources; and social justice-monitoring and measurement. The debate will conclude with a ministerial declaration on social justice, to be adopted by all member countries. The 28th Session of ESCWA coincides with the commemoration of the Commission’s 40th anniversary. To mark this occasion, a short documentary and commemorative booklet, entitled “Working for a Just and Prosperous Arab World – ESCWA at 40”, will also be released during the Ministerial Session. This set of print and audio-visual outputs as well as more information will be made available on the Website of ESCWA, its Facebook page (www.facebook.com/unescwa) and Twitter account (@ESCWACIU, #ESCWAat40), including live coverage of the Ministerial Session. 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. ESCWA 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. It 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. **** 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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