ESCWA'S TWENTIETH MINISTERIAL SESSION CONCLUDES; MINISTERS ADOPT 'BEIRUT DECLARATION'
Press Release
REC/57
ESCWA'S TWENTIETH MINISTERIAL SESSION CONCLUDES; MINISTERS ADOPT 'BEIRUT DECLARATION'
19990602 (Reissued as received.)BEIRUT, 28 May (UN Information Centre) -- Ministers from the member countries of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) ended the twentieth ministerial session by adopting a document entitled "Beirut Declaration", as introduced by Hazem El-Beblawi, ESCWA Executive Secretary.
By the Declaration, ESCWA member countries said that while celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Commission, they reiterate the achievement of a just and comprehensive peace, security on equal terms and stability in the region of Western Asia through the implementation of the relevant United Nations resolutions and full respect for international legitimacy and the foundations and principles of the peace process, foremost among them being the principle of land for peace and respect for the rights of peoples and their legitimate aspirations.
The ESCWA ministers affirmed that "peace and security will lead to the creation of an environment that will stimulate economic and social cooperation and development in all domains, including cooperation among the countries of the region in the areas of water, environment and energy".
The ministers stressed that peace and security were embedded in the promotion of democracy and respect for human rights, including the right to life, the right of self-determination and the right to development, and fundamental freedoms within a context of respect for national and regional characteristics and different religious, cultural and historical values.
The Western Asia countries highlighted the developing role of ESCWA and pledged to support its technical bodies and the obtainment of adequate support from the United Nations system, including the financial and human resources needed to enable the Commission to carry on its activities in the best possible way in order to be able to bolster the efforts of the member States and become a basic forum in the economic and social field with a view to
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promoting regional economic cooperation on a sound basis that would help to strengthen development and progress among the member States.
The ministers adopted all ESCWA reports as introduced by the Executive Secretary. By adopting these reports, member countries approve the state of progress of ESCWA's implementation of its programmes and biennium plans for the years 1998-1999.
Addressing the session, United Nations Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, representing United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, expressed his great pleasure at having witnessed the success achieved at the session and the important celebration.
During the morning session, Riad Tabbara, former chief of ESCWA's Social Division, was called upon to offer an account of the social developments the region has witnessed over the past 25 years. A former ESCWA official, Mr. Tabbara noted that when ESCWA was established in 1974, the region was characterized by a high per capita income, which resulted from the oil boom, but health and education indicators in the region were at a very poor level.
"The goal was to set this imbalance right," noted Mr. Tabbara. "And that has happened over the past 25 years due to the particular focus on social development. The gap has been bridged and the indicators for health and education are now close to what they are in developed nations". He declared that there had been considerable efforts to eradicate illiteracy and that the rates in the region had decreased, on average, from 63 to 40 per cent.
Mr. Tabbara also referred to the extensive population migration in the region brought about by the movement of workers from non-oil-producing countries to oil-producers, and by the displacement caused by the region's wars. Despite a number of negative factors, such as the higher incidents of divorce, as well as the higher levels of unemployment and number of unmarried women, the family remained a cohesive force in the region. The question which Member States must address now, suggested Mr. Tabbara, was how to maintain the considerable achievements of the past quarter century, despite dwindling resources.
Speaking also on regional economic development, Samir Makdisi, former ESCWA consultant, noted that despite the quick growth experienced by the region from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s brought on by the oil boom, since then and because of the decrease in oil revenues, there had been slow growth over all. Mr. Makdisi focused attention on the limited technological abilities of most member States. That had resulted in limiting countries in the region from playing a more significant role globally.
"At the world level, the economic position of ESCWA member countries remains very limited", he remarked. "Since Arab technological capabilities
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have not taken any great strides, the dependency on industrialized nations remains very high". The challenges that face this region are numerous, according to Mr. Makdisi, including: raising the standard of productivity, providing an appropriate economic atmosphere, and encouraging stronger relationships among countries in the Arab region. "Stronger economic cooperation means the more likely Arab countries will survive in the changing economic order", he concluded.
Recalling the milestones of the history of ESCWA, Mr. Beblawi introduced three speakers who were all familiar with the Commission's birth and development: Nabil Khatib, ESCWA Economist retiree; Ismat Kittani, former Under-Secretary-General, and Edward Ghoura, Former Permanent Representative of Lebanon who witnessed the Economic and Social Council deliberations that led to the creation of ESCWA.
At the beginning, ESCWA, or ECWA as it was initially called, had focused only on economic development and on issues of planning, explained Mr. Beblawi. In the 1980s, however, and in response to a growing interest in social matters, the Commission had changed its name to reflect its new interest in social affairs.
Both Mr. Ghoura and Mr. Kittani, who were instrumental in the establishment of ESCWA, recounted the challenges and obstacles which had to be overcome in order for ECWA to see the light, particularly ensuring the exclusion of Israel. "By resolution 1818, which called for the establishment of ECWA, the Lebanese delegation achieved its dream and the dream of the concerned Arab States", recounted Mr. Ghoura.
In closing, Mr. Beblawi praised the efforts of the 13 Member countries and encouraged stronger ties and cooperation at the threshold of a new millennium. "As we turn this historic page, our hard work and dedication will help to ensure that the future meets our expectations", he said.
ESCWA's twentieth session closed this afternoon.
Following is the full text of the Beirut Declaration:
THE REGION OF WESTERN ASIA
PREPARING FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
We the representatives of the Governments of the member States of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), meeting in Beirut on 27 and 28 May 1999 at the twentieth session of the Commission and gathered here today to celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary,
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Acting in accordance with the desire of our Governments to assume their responsibilities towards their peoples in their aspiration towards integrated, sustainable development; stressing their originality and their contributions to civilization; believing in the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations; aware of the development of international relations and partnership; and drawing from the experience and lessons of the past, an understanding of the present and its dimensions and a confident look to the future,
Taking the opportunity offered by the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Present our vision of the role and tasks of the Commission in line with regional and world developments in the coming century, as follows: The growth of the phenomenon of globalism does not diminish or detract from the extreme importance of the regional dimension. Nor does the global nature of problems preclude area-specific conditions, and consequently area-specific solutions and policies. In the trend towards globalism -- with full respect for the sovereignty of States -- one cannot bypass regionalism. Cooperation arrangements within homogeneous groups, especially small and medium-sized countries, represent a connecting bridge between individual countries and globalism. Moreover, development trends and requirements do not materialize all at once throughout the world, but rather in the form of regional waves, in which the conditions and situations peculiar to each area must be taken into account.
The role and functions of ESCWA are based primarily on development and economic and social cooperation, the objective being to raise the level of economic activity in Western Asia and maintain and strengthen economic relations among the ESCWA member countries and other countries of the world. Such development can be achieved only to the extent that it is comprehensive, integrated and sustained in both the economic and social spheres. Recognition of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of States, non-interference in their internal affairs and the settlement of disputes by peaceful means in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law constitute the basis of a sound international community. However, the State is not capable by itself of achieving comprehensive, sustainable development unless there exists international cooperation in the economic and social fields that is based, on the one hand, on a just and comprehensive peace, security on equal terms and respect for the principles of justice and international law and, on the other hand, on international relations that are balanced in all areas and based on effective international cooperation and genuine partnership on the part of donor States and international donor institutions.
The increasing importance of regional cooperation in the economic and social fields places a great responsibility on the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, which, as part of the United Nations system, is
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the natural place for dealing with such issues, for it is not merely a regional arrangement for expressing the needs and particularities of the region to which it belongs, but also the embodiment, at the regional level, of the universal purposes and principles set forth in the Charter and resolutions of the United Nations.
The future of the region, as it stands at the threshold of the twenty-first century, requires its transformation into a zone of economic and social cooperation and mutual respect for the rights and interests of its peoples in an atmosphere of just and comprehensive peace, security on a basis of equality and economic and social stability. This goal can be achieved only if, on the one hand, cooperation is strengthened between the members of this Commission, the United Nations and the international financial institutions and, on the other hand, the following objective conditions are met:
-- The achievement of a just and comprehensive peace, security on equal terms and stability in the region of Western Asia through the implementation of the relevant United Nations resolutions and full respect for international legitimacy and the foundations and principles of the peace process, foremost among them being the principle of land for peace and respect for the rights of peoples and their legitimate aspirations;
-- The creation of an environment that will stimulate economic and social cooperation and development in all domains, including cooperation among the countries of the region in the areas of water, environment and energy, which calls for a comprehensive view that takes into account the balancing of national needs and global requirements and is based on integration among the various aspects of sustainable human development, with recognition of the mutually supportive roles of an effective State administration, an efficient private sector and a sound civil society;
-- The exertion of efforts to integrate the ESCWA member States into the international economic and trading system by assisting them in dealing with the rules and principles on which it is based and heightening the advantages and at the same time limiting the drawbacks that might be involved, through the establishment of a dialogue with the international organizations concerned;
-- The promotion of democracy and respect for human rights, including the right to life, the right of self-determination and the right to development, and fundamental freedoms within a context of respect for national and regional characteristics and different religious, cultural and historical values, it being understood that achieving complementarity between freedom and responsibility at all levels in a State based on institutions and law constitutes a fundamental guarantee for enabling the region to continue its creative participation in the civilization of humankind;
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-- The development of the role of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia through support for its technical bodies and the obtainment of adequate support from the United Nations system, including the financial and human resources needed to enable the Commission to carry on its activities in the best possible way in order to be able to bolster the efforts of the member States and become a basic forum in the economic and social field with a view to promoting regional economic cooperation on a sound basis that will help to strengthen development and progress among the ESCWA member States.
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