By: Annaliese Bowser

The Economic and Social Commission on Western Asia (ESCWA) has moved on to its second topic of Economic Governance in the Arab region. Market access for Member States in the Arab region is limited, and many Member States are seeking a more equal, competitive economic market. In order for the Arab region to make sustainable progress towards its development goals, broader access to the global economic market is required. Several Member States have identified that their main obstacle to achieving economic governance is conflict. States such as Yemen, Palestine, the Syrian Arab Republic, Somalia, Sudan and Lebanon are collaborating to properly address how to handle their ongoing conflicts. As Representative Megan Bareis of the State of Palestine explained, “There is no way we can reconstruct when there is ongoing political unrest.” 

Representative Joseph Zonsius of the State of Palestine discussed how the states are moving forward, “Broadly, we look at the main problem, so conflicts. For example, Yemen has a Civil War, Somalia has a civil war. To look at the conflicts that they are in, and then we look to see past resolutions on how precedent has been set to stop them from continuing.” An important economic aspect of states in conflict is the reconstruction of damages caused by the conflicts. The State of Palestine’s Representative Zonsius went on to say, “We look up the damages and see how much it would cost in order to fully rebuild the infrastructure.” Each of the Member States are able to express their own individual needs within the report, as they all have different economic wants. Representative Bareis also expressed the importance of allowing each State in conflict to express what they need to best address their specific conflict, saying, “There is no one-size-fits-all resolution.” 

Representative Brianna Ruveny Smalley of Yemen said, “Yemen is looking for $2.5 billion in humanitarian aid because currently half of our population is starving. We are also looking for the UN to help us negotiate a peace agreement between Yemen and the Houthis.” The other nation-states echoed their need for humanitarian aid and funding for rebuilding their infrastructure. As these delegations come together to present a united front against conflict, diplomacy is at the forefront of the minds of ESCWA. The committee has seen little disruption as it works diligently to solve its economic issues.