On 15 January, UNSSC Director Jafar Javan and Rola Dashti, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to inaugurate enhanced collaboration through the implementation of a joint programme on learning, training and knowledge management to accelerate SDG learning and training for the Arab region.

As a framework for institutional dialogue and cooperation between UNSSC and ESCWA, the MOU supports ESCWA’s efforts in leading the decade of action for sustainable development in the region. The joint effort will focus on delivering sustainable development courses in Arabic, translating pre-existing courses into Arabic, setting up publicly accessible training portals and developing new training materials to increase the capacity of government actors, academia, and UN staff to advance their commitment and action towards achieving the ambition of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Western Asia.