بيانات صحفية

4 آذار/مارس 2014

Beirut

Integration Presents Arab World with Unique Opportunities for Human Development, says New ESCWA Report
Economic integration is “a requirement for survival”

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On 25 February 2014, UN Undersecretary General and ESCWA Executive Secretary Rima Khalaf launched from Tunis a remarkable report entitled “Arab Integration: A 21st Century Development Imperative” with the participation of Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, former Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and a crowd of political, economic, intellectual and public figures. Media representatives who took part in the ceremony received a press kit, which we will re-publish over five parts, in view of the importance of the issues the Report addresses. Beirut, 4 March 2014 (Communication and Information Unit)— Many countries around the world are uniting in regional blocs in an effort to better manage the challenges of globalization. Until now, Arab countries have remained divided, despite the enormous external pressures, domestic challenges and emerging risks they face, in a world more interconnected and complex than ever before. Endowed with many characteristics that allow close cooperation, including a common language, culture and history, as well as geographical proximity, the Arab countries have the potential for development, prosperity and national security if they achieve integration. This is the message conveyed by the report. Integration as called for in the report refers to a cooperative process that would bolster human development and national security while promoting a vision of the region based on guarantees of freedom, social justice and dignity for all. It means the progressive establishment of political, cultural and economic unity as part of a comprehensive Arab renaissance. The report examines the philosophical foundations of such an endeavour, drawing on the definition of ‘human civilization’ developed by fourteenth century Arab luminary Ibn Khaldun. Taking his theories as a premise, the report contends that comprehensive Arab integration goes beyond economic liberalization to encompass all dimensions of human civilization and social organization. Continuing from this premise, the report examines the concept of integration in Arab cultural heritage, with reference to the triad of civilization, culture and modernity. It contends that in order to instigate a true renaissance in the twenty-first century, the Arab world must reconcile tradition and modernization; freedom and responsibility; individual and collective well-being; unity and diversity. The report indicates that since the 1950s, the Arab countries have sought to achieve economic integration, but their efforts have failed to produce real economic gains. It emphasizes the need for economic integration as a central pillar of a broader Arab integration encompassing political, social and cultural unity. It calls on the Arab countries to take swift action towards comprehensive integration in order to overcome development challenges, achieve human well-being and compete with other regional economic blocs. Towards these ends, it advocates the swift completion of existing integration projects such as the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) and the Arab customs union; the liberalization of trade in services and the movement of capital and labour between the Arab countries; and the development of a regional production value chains. One of the principal benefits of integration, according to the report, would be the access it would create to knowledge production and acquisition, taking into account that ‘Big Science’ projects remain beyond the capacity of any single Arab country. In the modern world, the knowledge economy has come to be viewed as the pinnacle of development, and knowledge and human capital have become the main criteria for assessing progress and development. In this context, the importance of the boost to Arab research and technology that would result from regional integration is difficult to exaggerate. The report reviews several successful regional integration experiences in Europe, Latin America and Asia. Most of these models of integration were originally intended as vehicles of conventional economic integration; however, they have also yielded important social and cultural benefits. In all cases, success has been the product of sustained political will on the part of member States. Learning from the experiences of these unions in other parts of the world, the countries of the Arab region stand to reap similar benefits. Economic integration is no longer seen as just another pillar of development; in a world dominated by powerful regional blocs, it has become a requirement for survival. The report is unequivocal in its assertion that comprehensive integration is not only a vital necessity for the Arab world; it can also launch it towards a comprehensive renaissance. If the countries of the region embrace integration, the Arabs may once again be able to produce, enjoy and share with the world the fruits of an advanced civilization.
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