arab human development report 2003 - Palestine Remembered

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Foreword by the Regional Director, UNDPRegional Bureau for Arab StatesOur first Report in this series, published inJuly 2002, looked closely at Arab human developmentat the beginning of the new millennium.It probed its present state, diagnosed itsmost disabling flaws, and advanced concreteproposals for achieving levels of developmentcommensurate with the potential of the Arabregion and the aspirations of new generationsof Arabs. The Report concluded that promotinghuman development in the Arab worldrests on three great tasks: building, using andliberating the capabilities of the Arab peopleby advancing knowledge, freedom andwomen’s empowerment.Public, media and policy attention to thefirst Report has been gratifyingly wide and vigorous,prompting a keen debate, both in theregion and abroad, on the central dilemmas ofArab human development Such attention wasnot confined to public discussion circles.Some Arab governments and institutions tookup the Report in their proceedings, criticisingsome findings and assenting to others.Subsequently, and in line with the recommendationsof the first Report, several Arabcountries crossed new thresholds, particularlyin terms of empowering women and enhancingtheir political participation. This secondReport has recorded such accomplishments. Italso documents failures and underscores newchallenges. The region has recently encounteredgrave threats, and the dignity and rightsof Arabs, especially the right to self-determination,have been grossly violated. Soon afterthe first Report was completed, Israel re-occupiedthe Palestinian Territories. Barely oneyear later, Iraq fell under Anglo-American invasionand occupation. In these circumstances,the challenge of building Arab humandevelopment has undoubtedly become moreperilous, certainly more arduous and possiblymore tenuous.At this precarious juncture, some observersquestioned the wisdom of issuing furtherReports, while others worried that specialinterest groups might exploit their outspokenapproach, to the detriment of Arabs. Indeed,the authors are well aware that their workmight be misused or misinterpreted to servethe purposes of parties - outside as well as inside- the Arab world whose interests runcounter to an Arab awakening.The majority, however, argued forcefullythat to leave the initiative to others would bethe more ominous choice. Self-reform stemmingfrom open, scrupulous and balancedself-criticism is the right, if not the only alternativeto plans that are apparently beingdrawn up outside the Arab world for restructuringthe area and for reshaping the Arabidentity. Turning a blind eye to the weaknessesand shortfalls of the region, instead of decisivelyidentifying and overcoming them, canonly increase its vulnerability and leave it moreexposed.It is in this spirit that the second Report isnow issued. Its goal is to activate a dialogueamong Arabs on ways to change the course ofArab history and afford the Arab people thedecent lives to which they aspire and to whichthey are entitled. Written into every line is theunwavering conviction that reform efforts,which genuinely serve the region’s interests,must be initiated and launched from within.The theme chosen this year is the buildingof an Arab knowledge society, not only becauseknowledge is the first of the three corecomponents of the original strategy, but alsobecause it is the most instrumental.Knowledge increasingly defines the line betweenwealth and poverty, between capabilityand powerlessness and between human fulfillmentand frustration. A country able to mobilizeand diffuse knowledge can rapidly raise itsIII
level of development, help all its citizens togrow and flourish and take its proper place onthe 21st century global stage.The Report examines the status of Arabknowledge today in terms of demand, productionand dissemination, and concludes that allthree are ineffectual notwithstanding theabundance of Arab human capital. It contraststhis state with the origins and outcomes of theregion’s rich, enquiring and pluralistic culturaland intellectual heritage, confirming that thelatter provide robust foundations on which tobuild a knowledge society. It however observesthat the positive models found in Arabculture lack effective economic social, and politicalequivalents. The missing links are eitherburied in dust or smothered by ideologies, societalstructures and values that inhibit criticalthinking, cut Arabs off from their knowledgerichheritage and block the free flow of ideasand learning.There is therefore a pressing need fordeep-seated reform in the organisational, socialand political context of knowledge. TheReport identifies several key priorities forchange. An important set of findings is that, increating an Arab knowledge society, the reformof governance would represent a turningpoint, the renewal of education and the Arabiclanguage a rallying point and the pursuit ofcultural interaction an international meetingpoint.The Report proposes a strategic visionthat could support a creative Arab renaissancebuttressed by five essential pillars:• Providing and guaranteeing the key freedomsof opinion, expression and associationthrough good governance.• Broadening quality education and makingit available to all.• Embedding science in Arab society,broadening the capacity for research and developmentand joining the information revolutiondecisively.• Shifting rapidly towards knowledge-basedand higher value-added production.• Developing an enlightened Arab knowledgemodel that encourages cognitive learning,critical thinking, problem solving andcreativity while promoting the Arabic language,cultural diversity and openness to othercultures.Undoubtedly, certain arguments in theReport might seem controversial and may beappreciated only after a conscientious reappraisal.Yet the Report claims neither infallibilitynor a monopoly of the truth. Its authorswill be satisfied if it prompts open dialogue,constructive criticism, disagreement supportedby evidence and consent strengthenedby proof. Such responses would expedite thequest for common goals and the Arab journeyto knowledge and freedom.AHDR 2003 represents a substantial intellectualendeavour in the region to which manypeople have contributed. I am deeply thankfulto all who participated in its preparation,review and editing. I am especially grateful tothe core team, particularly the lead author, Dr.Nader Fergany, for his resourceful involvementat all stages. My sincere thanks also go tothe Advisory Board without whose counselthis Report would not have been possible.Finally, I am indebted to Mark MallochBrown, Administrator of UNDP, for his continuedbrave support to this series, and to ourco-sponsors, the Arab Fund for Economic andSocial Development, for their sustained collaboration.Rima Khalaf HunaidiAssistant Secretary General and Assistant Administrator, Regional Director,Regional Bureau for Arab States, United Nations Development ProgrammeIV
Page 2 and 3: United Nations Development Programm
Page 5: Immersion, yes, but swamped or drow
Page 9 and 10: interrelated issues in some depth.
Page 11: ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMSAFTAAHDIA
Page 14 and 15: The Arab knowledge civilisation: so
Page 16 and 17: Cultural interaction129CHAPTER 7SOC
Page 18 and 19: 7.1 Patriarchal Society in Arab Cou
Page 20 and 21: EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThe first Arab Hum
Page 22 and 23: nowadays can provide the means to e
Page 24 and 25: presence of significant human capit
Page 26 and 27: movements with an Islamic mark unde
Page 29 and 30: Arab citizens areincreasingly pushe
Page 31 and 32: Constitutions, lawsand administrati
Page 33 and 34: PART IChanges in human development
Page 35 and 36: The challenge ofbuilding humandevel
Page 37 and 38: The AHDR was a bellthat rang at the
Page 39 and 40: Governments, statingconsiderations
Page 41 and 42: BOX 6Human Rights Watch Report 2002
Page 43 and 44: Occupation posed toIraqis a new cha
Page 45 and 46: Arab countries, onaverage, continue
Page 47 and 48: In most Arab countriesthe march of
Page 49 and 50: The core challenges tohuman develop
Page 51 and 52: CHAPTER 1Conceptual framework: know
Page 53 and 54: level of society, between knowledge
Page 55 and 56: it. As such, the returns to knowled
Page 57 and 58:
knowledge vary and interact, especi
Page 59 and 60:
of calculation systems and the util
Page 61 and 62:
BOX 1.5Ahmad Kamal Aboulmagd: Towar
Page 63 and 64:
Figure 1.4PC availability and Inter
Page 65 and 66:
PART IISection two: the state of kn
Page 67 and 68:
The most seriousproblem facing Arab
Page 69 and 70:
Communication ineducation is didact
Page 71 and 72:
One of the mainfeatures of manyuniv
Page 73 and 74:
The evaluation indicates that priva
Page 75 and 76:
Official Arab satellitechannels dom
Page 77 and 78:
The harassment ofthe press under th
Page 79 and 80:
Figure 2.7Personal computers: Arab
Page 81 and 82:
There is clearly alarger role for t
Page 83 and 84:
ooks for translation in order to fu
Page 85 and 86:
Arabic research activitycontinues t
Page 87 and 88:
Workers in scientific research andd
Page 89 and 90:
TABLE 3.3Number of scientific resea
Page 91 and 92:
Restricting intellectualfreedom is
Page 93 and 94:
Figure 3.3Number of publications -
Page 95 and 96:
when economic crises and security c
Page 97 and 98:
The main threat to freeliterature a
Page 99 and 100:
CHAPTER 4Measuring knowledge capita
Page 101 and 102:
noted, the current attempt to measu
Page 103 and 104:
esearch and development and arts pr
Page 105 and 106:
velopment. Does the disparity in hu
Page 107 and 108:
ple)7. Book titles (per million peo
Page 109 and 110:
Despite the methodological and othe
Page 111 and 112:
Figure 5.1:Actors and linkages in t
Page 113 and 114:
Industrial R&Dinstitutions are weak
Page 115 and 116:
Until Arab countriesdevelop andseam
Page 117 and 118:
Governments havelarge responsibilit
Page 119 and 120:
sibilities of information and commu
Page 121 and 122:
Joint Euro-Arab R&Dactivities in th
Page 123 and 124:
PART IISection three: the cultural,
Page 125 and 126:
The issue of Arabintellectual herit
Page 127 and 128:
The Arab mentality (is)a system tha
Page 129 and 130:
Heritage has been adynamic contribu
Page 131 and 132:
BOX 6.3Al Kawakibi (1854-1902) Desp
Page 133 and 134:
The Arabic language isthe distincti
Page 135 and 136:
BOX 6.8Arab North Africa - Language
Page 137 and 138:
The re-birth of theArabic language
Page 139 and 140:
Traditionaloccupations and craftsar
Page 141 and 142:
Arab contemporaryculture is general
Page 143 and 144:
CHAPTER 7Socio-economic structureTh
Page 145 and 146:
tivities.The first consequence of t
Page 147 and 148:
also narrowed markets. Yet it is wo
Page 149 and 150:
The volume of Arab capital invested
Page 151 and 152:
BOX 7.1Patriarchal Society in Arab
Page 153 and 154:
amid the contraction of domestic ec
Page 155 and 156:
knowledge societies in Arab countri
Page 157 and 158:
The isolation ofcultural elites has
Page 159 and 160:
The goal should be toinstitutionali
Page 161 and 162:
BOX 8.3Imam Muhammad Abduh(1849-190
Page 163 and 164:
Penalties meted out tojournalists,
Page 165 and 166:
Disregard forintellectual propertyp
Page 167 and 168:
Concerns that theworld economicsyst
Page 169 and 170:
BOX 8.6Trade and Development: Prebi
Page 171 and 172:
CHAPTER 9A strategic vision: the fi
Page 173 and 174:
1. UNLEASHING ANDGUARANTEEING THE K
Page 175 and 176:
certed efforts of the state, civil
Page 177 and 178:
programmes of higher education inst
Page 179 and 180:
also initiate innovation: it could
Page 181 and 182:
BOX 9.4Imams (religious leaders) ad
Page 183 and 184:
cially useful in the production of
Page 185 and 186:
just one external point of referenc
Page 187 and 188:
ReferencesEnglish ReferencesAmnesty
Page 189 and 190:
Egyptian Sociology". National Centr
Page 191 and 192:
Maalouf, Amin, 2001.In the Name of
Page 193 and 194:
Fasl Al-Makal fi Taqrir ma bain Al-
Page 195 and 196:
Clovis Maksoud, Introduction to the
Page 197 and 198:
Elements of opinion survey of Arab
Page 199 and 200:
Table A-1NET ENROLMENT RATIOS (%) I
Page 201 and 202:
Table A-5PUPILS PER TEACHER RATIO B
Page 203 and 204:
Table A-9RELATIVE DISTRIBUTION OF T
Page 205 and 206:
198 ARAB HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2
Page 207 and 208:
Table A-10VALUES OF INDICATORS ON K
Page 209 and 210:
Page 211 and 212:
Page 213 and 214:
Page 215 and 216:
Page 217:
Table A-13VALUES OF KNOWLEDGE OUTCO
show all

arab human development report 2003 - Palestine Remembered

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?