Technical Committee, 8th meeting

The secretariat of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) is organizing the Eighth meeting of the Technical Committee during the period 10-12 December 2013. The Technical Committee will begin its meeting with an opening session at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 10 December 2013. The Committee will start its working sessions at 10.15 a.m. with one session in the morning and two sessions in the afternoon. It will resume its work at 10 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday 11 and 12 December 2013 with one session in the morning and another in the afternoon each day, as shown in the annex. The Committee will conclude its proceedings at 6 p.m. on Thursday, 12 December 2013. The Technical Committee was established pursuant to the decision of the Commission at its twenty fourth session and with the aim of enhancing interaction and close consultation between the members of the Commission and its secretariat on substantive development issues. The membership of the Technical Committee comprises high-level senior officials of the member governments of the Commission, from the capital, designated by the National Focal Points of ESCWA. The Technical Committee holds three meetings per biennium, in addition to a fourth, if necessary, upon consultation between the secretariat and the Session Bureau. Thus, the Committee holds one meeting in the years when an ESCWA ministerial session is held, and two meetings in other years. This measure shall come into effect as of 2010.

The aim is to lengthen the interval between the ministerial session and the following meeting of the Technical Committee, in order to allow sufficient time for following up the resolutions of ESCWA and provide the Technical Committee with comprehensive reports on implementation of these resolutions. Members of the Committee shall assume the chairmanship of the meetings on a rotating basis, for the duration of two years and in the Arabic alphabetical order employed by the United Nations. Chairmanship of the Committee shall coincide with the chairmanship of the Commission session.