Looking at the current state of the Arab world and the steps needed to move it to the next level of global competitiveness was the focus of the sixth annual Arab Thought Foundation conference.
Under the theme “Arab Strategies for the Global Era,” Arab experts and their international counterparts examined the dynamic transformations shaping both the Arab world and the global community. They met with the objectives of deepening understanding and fostering respect between Arabs and non-Arabs by forging new relationships, partnerships and collaboration to solve urgent issues of the 21st century.
The workshops and panel discussions addressed the challenges that face the Arab world and proposed new initiatives to empower Arabs and enhance their contributions to progress and development. The participants included Arab leaders and innovators in business, technology, media and government who formulated a strategy aligning Arab civil society, the private sector and government.
They said the role of government should be supervisory and legislative while the private sector should invest in the development of infrastructure, educational research and new technologies.
An active civil society is the link between the people and government, and civil institutions should influence decision-makers to address public concerns. Business experts and economists discussed measures to promote change and positively affect progress and prosperity. They sought viable solutions to the challenges in energy, education and corporate social responsibility. Participants spoke about developing a knowledge-based industry and alternative ways to develop Arab economies in a fast-growing global community.
One of the most interesting sessions was about doing global business, which focused on global communications and multicultural companies. Panelists discussed the role of companies and the need to raise awareness of social issues. They also stressed the need to adopt the global culture of tolerance for varying views and respect for the norms and values of the international market. They added that in an era of borderless transactions, we cannot continue to do business as usual. Education and training should be upgraded to create a work force that can embrace change and think globally. Experts called for qualified and skilled leaders and entrepreneurs who can excel in doing business as global citizens.
The region should conduct its own research that could secure a clean environment and invest in research to enhance the future of energy and petrochemical industries. Continuing business as usual could be very damaging to the environment, and business should be responsible to help build their communities in sustainable ways. Experts said we need to promote green legislation and environment-friendly structures and invest in alternative energies and introduce these new technologies into business and education. There is a need to address the damages of global warming and to track how much we consume and how much we waste. Green buildings should be developed that promote energy efficiency and integrate solar power as well as improving water drainage systems to conserve water and electricity.
There are many factors that slow progress and development in the Arab region. Participants emphasized the importance of examining and addressing these issues objectively and scientifically. They stressed the role of the media in spreading awareness and confronting the extremist ideology that propagates violence and endangers the future of the region’s youth. They called for a more effective media that can project the concerns of the citizens — a media capable of influencing decision-makers to address the rights of citizens and the needs of the community. In order to create a more effective media, experts said, more training should be provided to upgrade the profession and to raise the level of proficiency among local journalists and media professionals.
Panelists also recommended that in order to empower Arab people and allow them to contribute as global citizens, efforts should be put in place to create an appropriate political environment that produces innovators, better leaders and scientists. Arab societies should be allowed the freedom of expression and a free flow of knowledge. Moreover, there should be legislation fostering respect for global norms and values.
The participants challenged skeptics who dismiss the value of globalization and tend to exaggerate its dangers or remain weary of its influence. They outlined global opportunities and the concept of globalizing research and development for the benefit of humanity. They reiterated that globalization is a means to prosperity. However, it is a two-way street. Those who will receive its benefits will need to embrace it and behave as global citizens, respecting international norms and values; those who reject it will be isolated and left behind.
Arab societies need to create a balance between the local and the global. Globalization does not mean conforming to a single global culture but rather contributing to it. Arab societies can retain their identities, preserving the Arabic language and heritage.
What is needed is quality education based on the free flow of information and access to global knowledge and innovations. The education systems of the Arab world need reforms in curriculum and teaching methods. The region needs to develop English to acquire Western technological advancements as well as to be fluent in the language of international business.
Using new information technologies for research and development is the need of the hour. Global education needs global educators. Teachers should be trained to promote critical and creative thinking. They should be computer literate and aware of the new technologies that will help Arabs become part of the global community and benefit from the associated opportunities and innovations.
The Arab and international experts urged government, civil society and the business community to work together to build an infrastructure that will create the environment for a healthy and prosperous Arab region. What is of essence now is the implementation of the needed strategies for the global era. To put the Arab world on the sidelines of the global economy also sidelines the region’s future. In the time it has taken you to read this column, at least one factory and hundreds of businesses have started up around the globe. There is nothing we could ever do to change that, but what we can do is to assure that more of those factories and businesses open here, employing our people and enhancing our economies. The only obstacle to that is our own inaction, and the only victims of that inaction are ourselves and our children.
— Samar Fatany is a Saudi radio journalist.
