9th Regional Workshop on the International Comparison Program in Western Asia
August 4-6, 2007, Cairo, Egypt

The objective of the 9th ICP Workshop was to bring together the ICP national teams with the ICP regional office and the World Bank to review preliminary estimates of total GDP PPPs for 2005 and agree on all data inputs used for its calculation and get to an endorsement on housing rental pricing and other outstanding issues.
The meeting was set out in the purpose of tackling the following topics as per the agenda attached as Annex I:

1. Discussion of detailed results for Household Consumption;

2. National Accounts GDP expenditures: Data review validation – Group Discussions;

3. Housing: Data assessment, discussion of preliminary PPPs, and modifications to be made;

4. Discussion of W2 Construction Weights;

5. Construction: Second round data validation;

6. Equipment: Second round data validation;

7. Government: Data validation;

Attendants:

1. Thirty-four representatives from eleven ESCWA member States including National Coordinators; Price Experts and National Account Experts;

2. ICP-Deputy Global Manager, the World Bank;

3. ICP Consultant, the World Bank;

4. ICP-Regional Coordinator for Western Asia, ESCWA;

5. Two ESCWA staff members from the ICP Regional team for Western Asia.

• Agenda

• List of Participants

• Photos

• Meeting Report

• Papers presented:
  
  Global Status Report
  Mr. Yonas Biru, Deputy Global Manager, ICP, World Bank
  
  Regional Progress Report
  Mr. Tarik Alami, ICP Regional Coordinator for Western Asia, ESCWA
  
  Housing: Preliminary results and suggestion of a new template
  Ms. Nada Hamadeh, Consultant, ICP, World Bank
  
  Nonconsumption data validation reports: Individual Country highlights
  Mr. Yonas Biru, Deputy Global Manager, ICP, World Bank
  Mr. Majed Skaini, Economics Associate, ICP, ESCWA
  
  Preliminary GDP results