Nadim Khouri Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations ESCWA Meeting with the Rotary International, Rotary Clubs Lebanon Kaslik, 29 March, 2012

 Partnership between UN and Civil Society Organizations  Millennium Development Goals in the Arab countries  Millennium Development Goals in Lebanon  Governance: what role for Civil Society Organizations  Conclusions

Impact achieved so far: On the Brink of eradicating polio! Impact achieved so far: On the Brink of eradicating polio! GLOBAL

Impact: Provided1453 household and community safe water supplies for arsenic safe water to an estimated 41,250 families or 250,000 Bangladeshi rural people in NATIONAL

Result:  1664 trainees both males and females in 208 days Impact:  Improved IT skills and employability, women participation. Higher employability has impact on poverty. LOCAL

 Vision ten universally accepted principles A world’s largest voluntary corporate responsibility initiative that seeks to align business operations and strategies everywhere with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anticorruption.  Objectives ◦ Mainstream the ten principles in business activities around the world ◦ Catalyze actions in support of broader UN goals, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Open for both business and non- business participation (including Civil Society Organizations -CSOs)

Human Rights human rights Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and Principle 1 not complicit in human rights abuses Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses. Principle 2: Labour freedom of association recognition of the right to collective bargaining; Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; Principle 3 elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour; Principle 4 abolition of child labour Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and Principle 5 elimination of discrimination Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. Principle 6 Environment precautionary approach to environmental challenges Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges; Principle 7 environmental responsibility Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and Principle 8 environmentally friendly technologies Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies. Principle 9 Anti-Corruption against corruption in all its forms Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery. Principle 10 Source: UN Global Compact

6 ways in which Civil Society Organizations can engage: 1. Explore Participation in UN Global Local Networks 2. Join and/or Propose Partnership Projects 3. Engage Companies 4. Join and/or Support Special Initiatives and Workstreams 5. Provide Commentary to Companies on Communications on Progress 6. Participate in Global, Regional, and Local Events Source: UN Global Compact

 MDG1-Poverty and Hunger  MDG2-Universal Primary Education  MDG3-Gender Equality  MDG4-Child Health  MDG5-Maternal Health  MDG6-Combat HIV/AIDS  MDG7-Environmental Sustainability  MDG8-Global Partnership

 Increasing the poverty line to $2/day, the region’s poverty rate jumps from 4% to 17% => a significant fraction of the population is grouped not so far from $1.25/day. Source: ESCWA/LAS MDG Report for Arab States, 2010

 Considerable difficulties in enrolling children in primary school in some countries  Ex. Lebanon: the NER dropped from 93% in 1999 to 89% in Source: ESCWA/LAS MDG Report for Arab States, 2010

 Mashreq region with the lowest female employment to population ratio, average 15% and constant over the years observed.  Lebanon: political representation of women in Lower or single House is 3.1%. Lebanon ranks 135 among 150 countries. Source: ESCWA/LAS MDG Report for Arab States, 2010

Source: ESCWA MDG Report for Arab States, 2011 Sub- region MDG Target 2015 Status Mashreq24On track Maghreb23Achieva ble Least Developed Countries 45Not on track GCC12On track

 Mashreq sub region- low prevalence, with Lebanon being among the advanced ones with its openness and capacities of the private, academic and media sectors.  In 2006, Arab countries have taken steps towards universal access to HIV prevention, care, treatment and support.

 GCC: 20 metric tones of CO2 per head per year and increasing vs. only 0.5 metric tone of CO2 per head in LDCs.  Access to sanitation and water remains across most of the region.  From water stress to absolute water scarcity in 2050.

 Drop in Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 4.7% of GDP in 1990s to 2.7% in 2008 in Arab countries. In LDC, ODA to GDP ratio declined from 10% in 1990 to 4% in  Arab ODA could not catch up with population and income increases, which reduced its significance in development (particularly in LDCs). Source: UN ESCWA MDG report for Arab countries 2010

Source: Transparency International, 2010 Corruption Perception Index in some Arab countries, 2010  Conflicts  High level of corruption – weak governance  Exclusions and disrespect of human rights  Youth and youth unemployment  Overexploitation of natural resources-especially water  Food import dependency  Lack of data Source: UN ESCWA MDG report for Arab countries 2010 RankCountryScore 19Qatar7.7 28UAE6.3 41Oman5.3 48Bahrain4.9 50Jordan4.7 50Saudi Arabia4.7 54Kuwait4.5 98Egypt Lebanon Syria Yemen Sudan Iraq1.5

Source: Based on UNDP data, map adopted from Chronicle of the Middle East and North Africa Fanack, latest figures  Extreme poor 8%  Poor 20.59%  Non-poor 71%  Richest 20% account for 43% of total consumption  Ratio of richest 10% to poorest 10% is 10  The poorest regions: Bekaa, North and South

Source: ESCWA MDG Report in Arab countries, 2011 Most MDGs are likely to be met by Significant progress in health and education. Maternal mortality is the only MDGs that is not likely to be achieved It is not clear whether universal primary education will be achieved, but the country is on track. Underweight and CO2 emissions show reverse trends. Civil society and private sector have proved to be one of the main providers of services, health and education in particular.

Source: Global Forum for Reinventing Government, UN 2007

Decisions and actions should be made at the lowest level except in cases where by reason of scale or the effect of the proposed actions, the tasks would be better achieved at governorate or central levels. in cases where by reason of scale or the effect of the proposed actions, the tasks would be better achieved at governorate or central levels. Examples: National Conventions –National /Central vs. Land use planning – Governorate/Provincial vs. Municipal development –Local/Municipal

National Level Provincial Level Participate in decision-making Provincial Level Participate in decision-making Local Level Diffuse information, Participate in decision- making Local Level Diffuse information, Participate in decision- making Local Area Bring ideas and proposals; Mobilize local actors, Collect and diffuse information and results, Monitor, Feed-back Local Area Bring ideas and proposals; Mobilize local actors, Collect and diffuse information and results, Monitor, Feed-back CSOs CSOs main levels of participation

 Difficulties in self-financing, as private sector is closely linked to the regimes  To access resources, forced to approach the state and administrative structures.  Non-Islamist NGOs no access to large networks of businessmen affiliated with the Gulf region.  Advocacy NGOs – with foreign funds challenges of being “inside and outside”  Authoritarian tone of Arab authorities-prevent the institutionalized development of social movements  Today’s NGO’s described as “para-public”-i.e. under state influence  However, a high degree of self-organization and self-reliance of NGOs is seen in Lebanon and Palestine, where civil society has achieved a great deal of service provision particularly in health and education. Source: NGOs and governance in the Arab World, 2005

 Economic growth in Arab Countries needs to be accelerated but with particular focus on equity;  CSOs have an important role to play at three levels: Global, National and Local;  There will be increasing opportunities for CSOs to move from “service-provision” to participation in policy making and strategy definitions;  Will CSOs know how to grasp this opportunity?