Ahmad 
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) said that the war on Gaza and the conflict in Sudan are taking a heavy toll on Arab economies.
UN-ESCWA issued its annual report entitled “Survey of Economic and Social Developments in the Arab Region”, which paints a bleak picture of the region’s economic prospects amid ongoing conflicts.
According to the committee’s data, the region’s GDP was expected to grow by 3.6% in 2024 and 4.2% in 2025, but it has now revised its forecast based on developments to achieve a modest GDP growth of only 3.3% for 2024.
According to the report, poverty rates in conflict-affected Arab countries have risen to alarming levels from 56% and 45% in 2019 to about 63% and 50% in 2023.
The report team leader, Ahmed Moumi, stressed that the situation in conflict-affected Arab countries remains unclear, pointing to the repercussions of the war on Gaza, security concerns and political divisions.
The outlook for the least developed Arab countries remains bleak, with the war on Gaza continuing and the escalating conflict in Sudan continuing, further exacerbating the economic and social situation.
ESCWA stresses the need for coordinated strategies to address internal displacement, calls for increased regional cooperation to deal with this landscape, and calls for these strategies to include humanitarian needs, economic resilience, and social integration.
Dozens were killed in violent artillery shelling near Khartoum