The 30th Ministerial Session of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) will convene under the theme, ‘Technology for Sustainable Development in the Arab Region’. The biennial meeting will comprise two segments: the senior officials segment (25-26 June), and the ministerial segment (27-28 June).

The Ministerial Session will serve as a platform to discuss critical actions required from governments, the private sector and civil society in Arab countries in response to disruptive technologies. The goal is to maximize the benefits for sustainable development and lower risks of abuse and possible negative impact, working with governments in the Arab region.

Three moderated roundtables will seek to generate discussions with policymakers, civil society leaders, as well as representatives from the private sector, academia and youth on: integrating technology and innovation into national development planning; the role of technology in tackling the challenges of the Arab region; and frontier technologies: opportunities, challenges and the way forward.

The outcome of the Ministerial Session will be a declaration on the main theme of discussions, which is expected to set and renew commitments towards achieving development goals in the Arab region.

dates: 25-28 June 2018
location: Beirut, Beyrouth, Lebanon
www: https://www.unescwa.org/events/ministerial-session-30th