arab human development report 2003 - Palestine Remembered

The challenge ofbuilding humandevelopment remainsa very serious one forthe vast majority ofArabs.advanced level of human well-being.Foremost among these are the capacity to livea long and healthy life, to acquire knowledgeand for all people to enjoy freedom withoutdiscrimination of any kind. The second foundationis the efficient utilisation of human capabilitiesin all areas of human activity as wellas in economic production, civil society organisationand political life.THE CHALLENGE OF HUMANDEVELOPMENT IN THE ARABREGIONArab countries have made significant stridesin more than one area of human developmentin the last three decades. Nevertheless, thepredominant characteristic of Arab realitytoday seems to be the existence of deeplyrooted shortcomings that stand as obstacles tobuilding human development. As noted earlier,the first AHDR summarised these shortcomingsas the three deficits of freedom,women’s empowerment and knowledge.Taking these shortcomings into consideration,as the first AHDR did by exploring an alternativehuman development index, shows that itmay be premature to celebrate the achievementsof Arab countries on the traditionalBOX 1The Sheikh of Al-Rabwah, Muhammad ibn Abi Taleb al-Ansari al-Demashqi – The Human Being"Since MAN (insân in Arabic) is thecream of the world, the essence of theuniverse, the radiating centre in theoceans and the encirclements, the collectorof the dispersed contents of the earthand heavens, the descendent, the outcome,the elite and the fruit of existenceand its raison d'etre, it was imperativethat we conclude this book by noting hisapparent characteristics and the wondersof his creation and his manners. We havegiven in it (i.e., the book) a description ofthe three generated ones, the seven regions,the seas and their contents, as wellas their characteristics and those of thecountries. Nothing remained except man,who is the goal of all this and to whom belongsa collection of characteristics, not asingle self. He is the empowered successoron earth and the one charged withcarrying out God's prescriptions. He is acreated being, charged and empowered.Among his characteristics is that GodAlmighty combined in him the powers ofthe two worlds and qualified him to inhabitthe two houses (i.e., the world andthe hereafter). He is just like an animal inhis lust and hunger to develop the earth;and he is like angels in knowledge, worshipand guidance. Therefore, in returnfor man's worship and devotion to developingHis earth, God nominated him tobe His successor on earth. He preparedhim to sojourn next to Him in HisParadise and the House of his Throne.This man is composed of two oppositethings and two separate substances far removedfrom each other: one of them isgentle, a heavenly soul, enlightened, allencompassing,live and perceiving. Theother one is dense, an earthly body, inferior,dark, dead and insensitive. That iswhy he was called "insan", which is thedual of ins (human)."HDI. Indeed, the challenge of building genuinehuman development remains a very seriousone for the vast majority of Arabs. From apositive perspective, the realisation of humandevelopment in the Arab world requires transcendingthese deficits and transforming theminto their opposites: advantages enjoyed by allArabs and assets they can be proud of beforethe rest of the world.In order to build human development,Arab countries need to embark on reconstructingtheir societies along three clear principles:• Full respect for human rights and freedomsas the cornerstone of good governanceleading to human development.• Full empowerment of Arab women, recognisingtheir right to equal participation in politics,society and the economy as well as toeducation and other means of building capabilities.• Active knowledge acquisition and its effectiveutilisation in building human capabilities.As a key driver of economic progress, knowledgemust be brought to bear efficiently andproductively in all aspects of society, with thegoal of enhancing human well-being acrossthe region.This, in essence, is what it will take to transcendthe crisis of human development in theArab region. It is, however, by no means theultimate target for Arabs. Meeting the challengesof the future requires building Arabproductive capabilities in the face of the rentiernature of Arab economies and societies. Itdemands the reform of governance at the nationaland pan-Arab levels on a solid foundationof freedom. It calls for strengtheningArab co-operation and it entails maximisingthe benefits and minimising the risks of globalisation.Source: "The Choice of Time in the Wonders of the Land and the Sea”, quoted in: Ahmad Sedqui ad-Dajani, 1994.18 ARAB HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2003