This document examines the integrated vision for Lebanese Industrial Sector and the importance of supporting the sector to achieve an inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

This issue of SIF «Statistics In Focus» looks briefly at the labour market key indicators and figures available from a number of surveys conducted by the Central Administration of Statistics (CAS) in Lebanon in recent years. Its objective is to provide users with important information on the Lebanese labour market enabling them to understand the current situation and to compare Lebanon to neighbouring countries.

This Agreement on the Global System of Trade Preferences Among Developing Countries (GSTP) was established in 1988 as a framework for the exchange of trade preferences among developing countries in order to promote intra-developing-country trade. Following are several principles and features of the Agreement: -The GSTP is reserved for the exclusive participation of members of the Group of 77 and China and the benefits accrue to those members that are also ´´participants" in the Agreement. -The GSTP must be based and applied on the principle of mutuality of advantages in such a way as to benefit equitably all participants, taking into account their respective levels of economic development and trade needs. The Agreement recognizes the special needs of the LDCs and envisages concrete preferential measures in their favour. -To provide a stable basis for GSTP preferential trade, tariff preferences are bound and form part of the Agreement. -The GSTP must be negotiated step-by-step and improved and extended in successive stages, with periodic reviews. -The GSTP must supplement and reinforce present and future sub regional, regional and interregional economic groupings of developing countries and must take into account their concerns and commitments.

The ‘Agadir Agreement’ setting up a free trade area between Morocco, Jordan, Tunisia and Egypt, with the purpose of developing economic activity, supporting employment, increasing productivity and improving living standards within the countries adhering to the agreement.

This is the final report of the mid-term review of the second phase of the Support to Quality Infrastructure in Agadir Countries (SQIA) financed by Sweden. The purpose of the second phase of the project is to assist the four Agadir countries in the implementation of the Agadir Agreement signed in 2004 with the aim to establish a free trade area between Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Jordan. The support focuses on establishing systems and structures to bring down technical barriers to trade (TBTs). The overall expected result is to reduce poverty through boosting trade, increased economic development, and the attraction of Foreign Direct Investments. The support period runs from 2014 to 2018. The local counterpart of the project is the Agadir Technical Unit (ATU) in Amman, Jordan, and the technical assistance is provided by the Swedish Board for Accreditation and Conformity Assessment (Swedac). The review adopts a contribution analysis approach, recognising that there are alternative explanations for the changes observed. The project is but one contribution to a broader process of trade reform in the Agadir countries. The main data collection activities organised by the review team during implementation were a documentation review and semi-structured interviews conducted during a field visits to the Agadir member countries, visits to Stockholm to meet Swedac and the two Swedish partners, and additional Skype interviews. The main limitation of the review is the slow progress of the project, which inhibited any systematic assessment of outcomes, impact and sustainability.