Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

The Compendium of Social Statistics and Indicators is a biennial publication published by the Statistics Division of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). It typically focuses on such areas as population, education, households and family, human settlements, health and economic activity. In the hope of widening the audience of this publication, the eleventh issue is intended not only as a reference for policymakers and other officials, but also as a snapshot of trends in the region for readers with an interest in the social climate of Western Asia, including academics, students, journalists and the general public.

The Arab Ministerial Water Council (AMWC) took the initiative to establish a regional monitoring mechanism for water and sanitation services that builds upon indicators globally monitored under the UNICEF-WHO Joint Monitoring Program (JMP), and tasked ESCWA to lead its development and implementation. This regional initiative coincides in time, and reflects in context, the recent resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council declaring the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right. This development will in turn influence the orientation of the anticipated water and sanitation target that will be included in the post-2015 development agenda based on the Rio+20 outcome document, “The Future We Want.”