The Economic Summit of the Kings, Heads of State and Governments of the Arab League has adopted an Arab Plan of Action for Science and Technology. The plan was adopted at the summit held in Kuwait from 19 to 20 January 2009. UNESCO and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) are spearheading efforts to implement the plan.
Under the plan, a network of centres of excellence in the Arab world will be set up. These centres will work together on joint research projects to facilitate cooperation and thereby strengthen scientific ties and mobility within the Arab world. As many Arab scientists are living and working farther afield, the plan includes a collaborative research programme with the diaspora.
An Arab observatory of science and technology will be set up to monitor progress in research and development (R&D) and the application of research results to problem-solving in Arab society. Four priority areas for R&D have been identified: water, food, energy and agriculture.
The plan also calls for the creation of an Arab League Council of Ministers of Science and Technology, akin to the existing council for higher education.
To ensure the plan receives the necessary irrigation, a funding mechanism is to be set up. To ensure it is implemented satisfactorily, ALECSO will prepare a progress report in time for the second Arab economic and social development summit in 2011 in Cairo, Egypt.
The plan first germinated two years ago. At their meeting in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) in November 2007, the Arab Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research welcomed UNESCO’s assistance in elaborating an Arab Plan of Action to implement the decisions adopted by Heads of State at their two summits in Khartoum and Damascus. In response to this call, UNESCO and ALECSO convened several meetings of experts. The outcome of this consultation was the draft action plan (in Arabic) approved by Heads of State at their economic Summit in Kuwait in January 2009.
See also the coverage of the event by SciDev.net
Read also about the STI policy for Lebanon launched in 2006
Science Policy
