"Arab world must work together to achieve self-sufficiency
Sub-title: "self-sufficiency" a prime objective?"
UNDP report" By Dina Al Wakeel. JORDAN TIMES 3 July '02

QUOTES FROM TEXT: "the findings identify...areas that are lacking, such as the freedom gap, the knowledge gap and the role of women in the Arab region." "The report also lauds the concept of the Arab Free Trade Area, 'provided it lives up to its promise'."

EXCERPTS: AMMAN - Arab countries have the potential to raise their people's living standards, but cannot attain self-sufficiency in the absence of inter-Arab economic integration and trade, according to a new UNDP report unveiled on Tuesday.

The slow pace of achievement" in the region is connected to the lack of cooperation between Arab countries, according to the report that assessed fundamental issues related to human development across the Arab world.

While substantial progress is reported in health and habitat in recent years, the findings identify other areas that are lacking, such as the freedom gap, the knowledge gap and the role of women in the Arab region.

The reform of public administration, public sector institutions, the legal system and expanding knowledge by making the public's voice heard are basic requirements in upgrading key aspects of governance systems.

"Voice and accountability" is another unit of measurement in the study, and assesses "the extent to which the citizens of a country are able to participate in the selection of governments and monitor those in authority." In this category, Jordan ranked first among Arab countries.

Other deficits include high unemployment rates due to a lack of opportunities, and the consequent brain drain. In Jordan, the official unemployment rate stands at 14.9 per cent.

There are around one million Arab experts working abroad at a high skill level, said the UNDP's resident representative in Jordan, Ove Bjerregaard.

"Half the youths surveyed [for the report] have a vision of emigrating," said Bjerregaard at a meeting with the press here on Monday.

The status of women is also considered a major setback in the Arab world, as they do not fully participate economically and politically. Their participation in these realms is the lowest in the world in quantitative terms.

There are approximately 65 million illiterate adults in the region, most of whom are women. One of every two Arab women is illiterate, and in some countries women are denied the right to vote. Compared to 13 per cent in Latin America, women occupy 3.5 per cent of all seats in Arab parliaments

The gap in knowledge due to the high illiteracy rate and the deficiency in the educational system, according to the report, was measured in terms of scientific research and development.

In 1996, expenditure on research in Arab countries was less than 0.5 per cent compared to 2.9 per cent in Japan in 1995.

Meanwhile, Arabs constitute five per cent of the world's population and only 0.5 of Internet users.

Despite the many flaws, the report reveals that the region has successfully managed to raise life expectancy by 15 years over the last three decades, and cut infant mortality rates by two-thirds.

Yet although fertility rates dropped significantly in several Arab countries, they remain higher than average, except for Tunisia.

Joint efforts to alleviate poverty were also fruitful, with a more even distribution of wealth noted in recent years.

The report refers to a paper on poverty in the World Bank's Middle East and North African countries (MENA) from 1970-2000. The paper showed that the MENA region is considered to have the "lowest incidence of extreme poverty, with less than 2.5 per cent of the population living on or below the $1 per day standard for dire poverty."

In terms of economic prospects, the report calls for increased cooperation between Arab states.

Social and economic unity can help solve the problem of small markets each country has and facilitate the opening of new markets such as the European one.

The report also lauds the concept of the Arab Free Trade Area "provided it lives up to its promise."

Despite the many agreements signed between Arab states since the 1950s, inter-Arab trade accounts for only around seven to ten per cent of total Arab trade, said the report.

Reported by IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis  http://www.imra.org.il, imra@netvision.net.il

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