The Arab Mayors Academy (AMA) is a flagship regional initiative jointly implemented by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). It brings together a cohort of governors, mayors, deputy governors, and senior local leaders from across the Arab region to further strengthen their capacities in addressing urban development challenges.
The Arab Mayors Academy (AMA) is a flagship regional initiative jointly implemented by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Building on the success of its first edition, the second edition of the Arab Mayors Academy was launched in August 2025 at the UN-House in Beirut. It brings together a cohort of governors, mayors, deputy governors, and senior local leaders from across the Arab region to further strengthen their capacities in addressing urban development challenges.
The Arab Mayors Academy is a pioneering regional initiative led by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). It aims to empower local authorities across the Arab region with the knowledge and tools needed to tackle the complex development challenges. The first edition of the Arab Mayors Academy was launched in 2024 by UNESCWA and UN-Habitat at the UN-House in Beirut, in partnership with United Cities and Local Governments – Middle East and West Asia Section (UCLG-MEWA).
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and the Quality of Life (QoL) Programme in Saudi Arabia organized an Arab Youth Photo Competition on QoL in Cities, as part of their global QoL Initiative.
On 25 September 2014 United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), Ms. Rima Khalaf, announced the appointment of Mr. Abdallah Al Dardari as her deputy. A national of Syria, Mr. Al Dardari, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Richmond – American International University of London (1985), a Master of Arts degree in International Economic Relations from the University of Southern California (1988).
ESCWA Regional Advisor on Environment and Water Ralf Klingbeil participated in the conference on “Social Water Studies in the MENA Region” on September 27th and 28th 2014 at the German Jordanian University (GJU) in Madaba, Jordan. ESCWA contributed to the conference through a panel discussion, a presentation, as well as supporting participating scientists from Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.
The Regional Commissions, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC), and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) recently launched a joint report entitled “Regional Perspectives on Sustainable Development” that contains a thorough analysis of the regional challenges and opportunities of sustainable development.
