Arab Knowledge Report 2009: Towards Productive

In our bidfor economicand humandevelopment inthe Arab world, wecannot be contentwith the benefits ofthe “invisible hand”of the marketthe language of solidarity, cooperation,and common destiny (Cenre Europe-Tiers Monde, 2007, in French). Whatcontrols actions in reality is the logic ofpower and domination, whose rigidity thecontradictions innate in the knowledgesociety have made more extreme. There isno longer any hesitation over declaring thepower of knowledge or of its possessors,since the knowledge gap has becomesynonymous with poverty, weakness,marginalisation, and, subsequently,dependency and subordination.The political modernisation mindset isdistinguished by its ability to incorporatepolitical values linked to the neo-liberalmodel. It converges with political andstrategic choices supportive of theinterests of the strong, of those whopossess knowledge and deploy it to runthe world. This “neo-liberal” view doesnot hesitate to declare a pragmatic goalwith respect to the conclusions fosteredby such reports, thus confirming theincompatibility between the economicpolicies of the knowledge economy andthe political goals of the democraticpolitical project, which, when examined,turns out to be the maker and organiser ofthe network of institutions and laws thatrule the world.In our bid for economic and humandevelopment in the Arab world, wecannot be content with the benefits of the“invisible hand” of the market—the handthat is the common factor in many reportson development and knowledge. Theinvisible hand may do its work throughstrangulation, which, where knowledgeis concerned, means cutting off its lifeblood.This is all the more grave given thatlife is interdependent with knowledge.The global financial crisis that beganin late 2008 showed that financial choicesbased on the invisible hand of a completelyopen market with no effective societalsupervision necessarily have negative effectson the various enabling environments andexisting markets. The choices by whichthe future of global financial institutionsis determined reveal in turn furtherdimensions of the crisis.Thus there are innumerable difficultiesin bridging the knowledge gap in the ArabBOX 1-5Building the Information Society: a global challenge in the new millenniumExcerpts from the 2003 Geneva Declaration of Principles on Building the Information SocietyIn the Declaration of Principles of the 10-12 December 2003meeting in Geneva, we read:Our challenge is to harness the potential of information andcommunication technology (ICT) to promote the developmentgoals of the Millennium Declaration, namely the eradication ofextreme poverty and hunger; achievement of universal primaryeducation; promotion of gender equality and empowerment ofwomen; reduction of child mortality; improvement of maternalhealth; to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases;ensuring environmental sustainability; and development of globalpartnerships for development for the attainment of a more peaceful,just and prosperous world. We also reiterate our commitment to theachievement of sustainable development and agreed developmentgoals, as contained in the Johannesburg Declaration and Plan ofImplementation and the Monterey Consensus, and other outcomesof relevant United Nations Summits.We reaffirm, as an essential foundation of the InformationSociety, and as outlined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration ofHuman Rights, that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion andexpression; that this right includes freedom to hold opinions withoutinterference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideasthrough any media and regardless of frontiers. Communication is afundamental social process, a basic human need and the foundationof all social organisation. It is central to the Information Society.Everyone everywhere should have the opportunity to participateand no one should be excluded from the benefits the InformationSociety offers.We are aware that ICTs should be regarded as tools and not as anend in themselves. Under favourable conditions, these technologiescan be a powerful instrument, increasing productivity, generatingeconomic growth, job creation and employability and improving thequality of life of all. They can also promote dialogue among people,nations and civilisations.We are also fully aware that the benefits of the informationtechnology revolution are today unevenly distributed between thedeveloped and developing countries and within societies. We are fullycommitted to turning this digital divide into a digital opportunity forall, particularly for those who risk being left behind and being furthermarginalised.We affirm that development of ICTs provides enormousopportunities for women, who should be an integral part of, and keyactors, in the Information Society. We are committed to ensuring thatthe Information Society enables women’s empowerment and theirfull participation on the basis on equality in all spheres of society andin all decision-making processes. To this end, we should mainstreama gender equality perspective and use ICTs as a tool to that end.40 ARAB KNOWLEDGE REPORT 2009