Press release

19 May 2008

Beirut

Under Auspices of President Ali Abdallah Saleh

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Under the auspices of President Ali Abdallah Saleh, and the theme of "Financing for Development in the ESCWA region", the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, will be hosting the 25th Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, (UN-ESCWA), on 26-29 May 2008 at the Movenpick Hotel. Held every two years, the Session is considered the main governing body of the Commission, which decides on its policy. It will gather a quorum of representatives of the 13 member countries of UN-ESCWA, at the ministerial level, senior officials and eminent persons from the host country (Yemen), as well as embassies accredited to Yemen. Representatives of UN agencies; States Members of the UN that are not members of the Commission; governmental and non-governmental organizations; donor agencies and funding institutions; regional experts, and academia and national media institutions, in addition to regional and international media agencies accredited in Yemen will also participate in the Session. The 25th Session of UN-ESCWA shall be held in two segments, namely: the technical segment and the Ministerial segment. The first segment, which is scheduled to open at 10:00 AM on Monday, 26 May 2008, will gather senior officials of each of the 13 delegations. The Ministerial segment to be inaugurated at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, 28 May 2008, will be attended by the heads of delegations present at the meeting. In its capacity as host country, the Republic of Yemen will chair the Session’s Office that is usually elected following the opening ceremony. Key Speeches and Issues The opening session at the technical level will include statements by the representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), which assumed the chairmanship of the 24th Session of UN-ESCWA, and the Republic of Yemen, in its capacity as Chairman of the 25th Session, in addition to the statement of Mr. Bader Omar AlDafa, UN Under-Secretary-General and UN-ESCWA Executive Secretary. As for the opening session of the Ministerial segment, it will include statements by the President of the Republic of Yemen, Mr. Ali Abdullah Saleh, the secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and the Executive Secretary of UN-ESCWA, Mr. Bader Omar AlDafa, in addition to the Chairman of the 25th Session. Significant events will mark the Ministerial segment: the adoption and signature of the Convention on International Multimodal Transport of Goods in the Arab Mashreq. The convention will remain open for signature throughout the session for the representatives of member countries who are duly authorized to sign the convention and provided with credentials endorsed and signed by heads of State or Government or foreign ministers, in accordance with principles and procedures in force at the Office of Legal Affairs at the UN headquarters-New York. Major events continue throughout the Session with the holding of Ministerial roundtables on “Financing for development in the ESCWA region”; “Regional cooperation for achieving the Millennium Development Goals”; and “Economic and social development in Yemen”. On the Technical Level The technical segment of the Session will discuss the Report of the Executive Secretary on the Activities of the Commission for the Biennium 2006-2007; the Follow-up to the Implementation of the Resolutions Adopted by the Commission at its Twenty-fourth Session, including the Role of ESCWA in the Light of the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document and the Subsequent Change Process; the Macroeconomic Policy for Financial Stability; Strengthening the Role of ESCWA in Addressing the Impact of Conflict and Instability within the Context of Social and Economic Development; Youth Employment in ESCWA Member Countries; the Follow-up to the Development of the Information Society in Western Asia; the Establishment of the ESCWA Technology Centre; Technical Cooperation, Partnership Development and Resource Mobilization; Strengthening Statistical Capacities in the ESCWA Region; Social Development Policies; Increasing the Role of Women in Decision-Making with Respect to Conflict Prevention and Peace Building; the Follow-up to the Implementation of Components of the Integrated Transport System in the Arab Mashreq. The technical segment of the Session will also focus on other issues such as the Establishment of an Arabic Language Centre at ESCWA; Technical Cooperation Program; Reports of the ESCWA Subsidiary Bodies on their Sessions; Revised Draft Strategic Framework for the Biennium 2010-2011; Technical Cooperation Program and Regional Advisory Services; and the Financial Status of the Commission. The Session will also consider the request of Sudan for membership in UN-ESCWA. On the Sidelines of the Session… The choice of the Yemeni capital to hold UN-ESCWA 25th Ministerial Session is doubtless significant. It is an occasion through which UN-ESCWA gives a special importance to Yemen, one of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) that is currently facing major challenges in the implementation of the Work Program for LDCs for the Period 2001-2010, and of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Side events are therefore scheduled for the Session, notably: - Launching of the Information Society Portal for the ESCWA Region/ ISPER (27 May 2008); - Two promotional exhibitions inaugurated by the representative of the President of the Republic of Yemen (28 May 2008). The first, organized by the Yemeni government, will showcase information relating to investment, mineral resources and tourism in Yemen. The second, shall display reports, as well as other information material recently released by ESCWA; - Launching of the report entitled “Millennium Development Goals in the Arab region 2007: A Youth Lens”; The Yemeni government will also organize a traditional night, to illustrate the main cultural and artistic features of the diverse Yemeni heritage (28 May 2008). UN-ESCWA is one of the five UN Regional Commissions. It is comprised of 13 member countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Its objective is to support economic and social cooperation among the countries of the region and promote the development process in order to achieve regional integration. * *** *
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