Jordan will take part in the 28th meeting of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), currently underway in Tunisia, at the ministerial level.
The two-day meeting, titled "Social Justice in Public Policy for the Arab States," opened on Wednesday under the patronage of Tunisian President Mohammad Moncef al Marzouki. High-level delegations from Arab countries were participating.
A delegation from the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation is representing Jordan at the meeting.
Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCWA Rima Khalaf said that the participants will discuss the issue of social justice to evolve a common vision.
Khalaf noted that the Arab decision-makers did not ignore the importance of social justice and were keen to include this important aspect in their countries' development plans in order to develop health and educational systems and infrastructure, thus achieving positive growth rates.
In a message to the meetings, Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, said that more than 400 million Arab citizens have raised their voices and called for a just society and a prosperous future based on respect for human rights, noting that the region, as many other parts of the world, faces significant obstacles of poverty, geographic disparities, unemployment and exclusion. He added that exacerbated conflicts in the region make applying social justice on the ground a tough mission.
During the opening session, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) passed on the presidency of the forum to the Kingdom of Bahrain.