Achieving Social Justice in the Arab Region - United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
Press release

22 Dec 2016

Doha-Beirut

Achieving Social Justice in the Arab Region

During the ESCWA 29th Session held on 13-15 December 2016, ESCWA presented the guide that it is currently preparing to incorporate social justice principles into development plans in Arab countries. The guide aims to inform officials in charge of the formulation of policies and plans in Member States on how to integrate the social justice concepts and principles in their national development policies and plans and to explain the link between social justice and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and of relevant international conventions.

In that context, Chief of the Participation and Social Justice Section in ESCWA, Oussama Safa, highlighted the goals of the guide, and pointed out that it focuses on practical steps and tools used to devise social justice policies, taking into account inter-Arab disparities. He added that the guide reviews interventions and institutional mechanisms as well as various elements of public policy which are considered essential to achieve social justice.

Safa discussed the detailed content of the guide which addresses the role of the State and the need for macroeconomic policies that support development goals; he noted that it also tackles the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that should inspire more equitable policies commensurate with social justice concepts. He added that it explains drafting policies that uphold social justice principles and the technical aspects that must be taken into account during the development of such policies. According to Safa, the guide considers the provision of the resources for policy implementation and tackles the potential mechanisms to provide the necessary resources; it also reviews the role of non-State actors in the development and implementation of national plans, policies and programmes that embrace social justice concepts, as well as to the citizens’ role and effective participation in various areas.

Following the preparation of this guide, ESCWA will hold a regional workshop to allow experts from the relevant government institutions and local authorities to devise policies and programs of social development, putting to test the guide and how suitable it is to each country’s political, social, and economic particularities.

About ESCWA
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. 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.
 

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For more information:
 
Nabil Abu-Dargham +961-70-99 31 44
Ms. Mirane Abi-Zaki +961-76-04 64 02  


dargham@un.org
abi-zaki@un.org
escwa-ciu@un.org
 
For more ESCWA news, please visit:
Website: www.unescwa.org  Facebook:  www.facebook.com/unescwa   Twitter: @ESCWACIU   
 
 
 

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