Expert Group Meeting/Workshop on Science and Technology Policies and Strategies for the 21st Century
Beirut, Lebanon
10 - 12 March 1999
Contacts:
Mr O. F. Bizri
Chief, Technology Section
Sectoral Issues and Policies Division
ESCWA
PO Box No 11-8575
Riad El-Solh Square
Beirut, LEBANON
Tel: +961 1 981 301
Fax: +961 1 981 510
Email: bizri.escwa@un.org.lb
or
Mr Amr Azzouz
Programme Specialist in Engineering Sciences
UNESCO Cairo Office
8 Abdel-Rahman Fahmy Street
Garden City
Cairo, EGYPT
Tel: + 20 2 355 3010 or +354 5599/355 1177
Fax: +20 2 354 5296
Email: azzouz@mail.unesco.org.eg
Background:
Attaining sustainable development objectives in the next century will have to proceed under conditions bearing little or no resemblance to those that prevailed during the past few decades.
Developing countries will face enhanced competition, vanishing trade barriers, more stringent intellectual property regimes and deeper concern for the environment. Trends in all these areas are expected to pose serious challenges for fragile components in the socioeconomic systems of the Region. The role of indigenous scientific and technological capabilities, of innovative capacity, at the national and institutional levels, in meeting these challenges cannot be overemphasized.
S and T policies and strategies remain inadequate, at best immature, in the Arab countries. Yet, these are essential prerequisites for attaining viable S and T capabilities and innovative capacity to deal with the above challenges.
Organizations involved:
This is a joint activity of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the UNESCO Cairo Office, Lebanon's National Council for Scientific Research (NCSRL) and the Arabian Gulf University. The contribution by the UNESCO Cairo Office to this event comes within the framework of Phase II of the Science and Technology Management Arab Regional Network (STEMARN) Programme, sponsored by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences.
The Arab League Education, Culture and Science Organization (ALECSO) is taking part in the preparation of the regional WCS paper during Saturday 13, March.
The meeting is intended to build upon results achieved through previous activities carried out by ESCWA and UNESCO with the aim of enhancing technological capabilities in the region.
Overall Objectives:
Innovative approaches are needed for protecting the threatened positions of a multitude of production and services sectors in the Arab countries. Local S and T inputs are also required to:
Although several Arab countries have succeeded in creating selected S and T establishments, national innovation systems in the region remain highly fragmented and tend to have limited impact on sustainable development efforts. Enhanced capabilities in S and T policy formulation, planning and co-ordination of S and T activity are thus badly needed for generating viable technological inputs.
Only a small number of Arab countries have actually embarked, or are planning to embark, on projects to formulate S and T policies and strategies. An even smaller number of Arab countries might lay a claim to having actually formulated S and T policies and strategies that explicitly link up in a clear and transparent manner with national development plans.
More Immediate Objectives:
Catalyzing and Harmonizing S and T Policy Formulation:
The EGM/Workshop will catalyze and harmonize efforts aimed at the formulation of S and T policies and strategies at relevant levels and in sectors of primary concern for the Arab countries. Difficulties met in S and T policy up-dating and integration with relevant national development policies will be addressed. Issues relating to the creation of inward and outward linkages with a view to policy implementation will also be considered.
Highlighting methodologies for Policy and Strategy Implementation:
Modalities leading to harmonization and co-ordination of national S and T policies and strategies with relevant sustainable development policies will be emphasized. Technology policies impacting selected sectors of priority concern for the Arab countries will be targeted for particular attention. Similarly, S and T policies and strategies for the introduction and dissemination of new technologies will also be dealt with. Policies and strategies enabling wider application of the "technology blending" approach with a view to improved competitiveness, productivity and environmental compatibility in both traditional and novel areas of manufacturing and services will be highlighted.
Promoting Networking in S and T:
Limited resources, both human and financial, will mean that greater emphasis has to be placed upon networking at the national, regional and international levels. Policy issues pertaining to networking in S and T, in general, and R and D, in particular, will, therefore, be awarded special attention. The EGM/Workshop will also serve as an occasion for reviewing past efforts in R and D networking and the possible launching of selected networks with particular emphasis on networks for technology assessment and forecasting.
The World Conference on Science:
The EGM/Workshop will provide an opportunity to harmonize national preparations for the UNESCO World Conference on Science (WCS) to be held in Budapest, Hungary, during the period 26 June - 1 July 1999. This event assumes special significance, as it marks the passage of two decades since the United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development (UNCSTD) in 1979. Thus, an additional day, 13 March 1999, has been set apart for a regional consultative meeting that is fully dedicated to preparations for WCS. A group of participants in the EGM/Workshop will discuss the draft of a regional paper for submission to the Meeting of Arab Ministers responsible for Higher Education and Scientific Research, to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in April 1999 prior to its presentation in Budapest.
Organization:
A fully interactive approach will be adopted, providing a lively environment for debate and will include invited lectures by distinguished international and regional experts. Emphasis will be placed throughout on answering questions such as "how to?" rather than "what is?" Thrust will be maintained on updating and operationalizing policy initiatives and rendering them more compatible with future threats, challenges and opportunities.
Plenary Sessions:
The EGM/Workshop has scope for plenary presentations each morning, see attached agenda. Papers and discussions on the experiences of other countries and regions will take up the morning of the first day. A paper on national innovation systems will also be presented during the morning session of the meeting. The morning of the second day of the EGM/Workshop will be devoted to presentations and discussions concerning S and T policies and strategies in the region. The plenary session planned for the morning of March 12th will be devoted to issues concerning implementation of S and T policies and strategies.
Syndicate Sessions:
Syndicate, or working group sessions are organized on the afternoons of the 10th and the 11th as well as the morning of the 12th. The main objectives of the syndicate sessions is to shed light on concepts and methodologies related to:
The meeting will include presentations by two consultants engaged specially for this purpose by ALECSO. Discussions will follow with comments on these presentations with a view to gathering concrete suggestions for the Arab Ministerial Conference in Riyadh.
Target groups: The EGM/Workshop is aimed at the principal national and local policy making bodies. High-level decision makers from governmental and non-governmental institutions are expected to benefit and participate. Institutions from both the demand and supply sides will be involved in preparing for and attending the EGM/Workshop.
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