Science and Technology for

achieving SDGs in the Arab

region

By

Ghaith H. Fariz

Director,

UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science in the Arab States

SDG Targets1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Goal 1 End poverty in all its forms

everywhere

Goal 2 End hunger, achieve food security and

improved nutrition and promote sustainable

agriculture

Goal 3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-

being for all at all ages b, d

Goal 4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality

education and promote lifelong learning

opportunities for all

Goal 5 Achieve gender equality and empower

all women and girls b

Goal 6 Ensure availability and sustainable

management of water and sanitation for all

Goal 7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable,

sustainable and modern energy for all

Goal 8 Promote sustained, inclusive and

sustainable economic growth, full and

productive employment and decent work for

all

Goal 9 Build resilient infrastructure, promote

inclusive and sustainable industrialization

and foster innovation

Goal 10 Reduce inequality within and among

countries

Goal 11 Make cities and human settlements

inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 12 Ensure sustainable consumption and

production patterns

Goal 13 Take urgent action to combat climate

change and its impacts

Goal 14 Conserve and sustainably use the

oceans, seas and marine resources for

Goal 15 Protect, restore and promote

sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems,

sustainably manage forests, combat

desertification, and halt and reverse land

Goal 16 Promote peaceful and inclusive

societies for sustainable development,

provide access to justice for all and build

effective, accountable and inclusive

institutions at all levels

Goal 17 Strengthen the means of

implementation and revitalize the global

partnership for sustainable development

Table of Science Relevance in the SDGs 2030 Agenda

• The SDGs are labeled by many as a “science

and technology agenda”

• Science and technology should be adopted as

an integral part of strategies, programmes,

and projects as well as in allocation of

funds ….

……Else the SDGs might fail as a

major prerequisite/assumption

regarding the role of science and

technology will be missing.

Informing the formulation of evidence-based targets and indicators to assessing

progress, testing solutions, and identifying emerging risks and opportunities.

Providing critical inputs into our understanding of the inter-linkages and interdependencies between natural and social systems which can support

integrated policy-planning, monitoring and review at different scales.

Science and research provide the knowledge needed to support transformations

towards sustainable development.

Science possesses a strong educational component.

Enhancing the close collaboration between the policy and scientific communities

and other stakeholders.

Science literacy provides the basis for solutions to everyday problems, generally, in

uncontroversial ways. Science education and capacity-building in science need to be

strengthened to make the most of the transformational power of science.

Crucial role of Science and technology……

�Provides scientific and technological solutions to

pressing livelihood challenges in all spheres of

and sectors (agriculture, industry, environmental

protection…etc)

�Enables the marginalized sectors to actively

engage in socioeconomic advancement.

�Provides scientific basis for addressing social and

economic challenges

Technology and science might be available, produced,

transferred….…. but what about…..

Technology to empower the poor.

Ability…. Willingness….

Know how…Supporting

environments…

For technology to play the

anticipated role we need to

establish the knowledge

society/economy.

� The knowledge society is holistic and comprehensive and involves a quantum leap in

the paradigm of knowledge, culture, politics and sociology. It is associated with a

global culture of human rights, citizenship and governance systems”

� Knowledge economy/society” will generate new opportunities and expand choices

that will even generate more job opportunities and more adequate and rewarding

employment.

� In the Arab region, knowledge society is urgent to bridge the gap between education

and the job market through the formation of adequately prepared human capital, not

only through higher education but also in enhancing and facilitating better skill

acquisition, access to technology, and vocational guidance and training particularly for

the poor and unemployed.

� Other “knowledge” related elements, such as ICT, innovation and enabling

environments, have a direct impact on reducing unemployment and realising

economic inclusion.

� Wide dissemination of new technologies and information can enhance access to

credit and other assets that promote development of income generating activities

targeting the most vulnerable groups, including youth and women particularly in the

rural areas.

Knowledge Economy/Society

�Knowledge and sciences as entry points to reform and human development: a tool and product of development

�Knowledge is a human right

�Adopting the broader concept of knowledge, which includes humanities, art, literature, in addition to applied sciences

�The tight connection between the status of knowledge and the enabling environments (Political, economic and social environments)

�Openness and Intercommunication; within the inside and with the outside, is a founding pillar

• Arab region is confronting drastic, sometimes violent, changes on

almost all fronts: social, economic, environmental, demographic and

political.

• Arab Countries urgently needs to:

• sustain the development results that have been achieved so far,

• address the compounded challenges of urgent developmental

needs

• Adapt to evolving social, economic and governance structures.

Knowledge and Science is a key gateway for

the 2030 Agenda and will facilitate the

attainment of the Sustainable Development

Goals and targets in the Arab region

At the bignning of the SDG 2030 era…

87654321

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Knowledge Economy Index

Na

tio

na

l P

ov

ert

y r

ate

R-Sq 39.8%

R-Sq(adj) 38.3%

Yemen, Rep.

TunisiaSyrian Arab Republic

Sudan

Morocco

Mauritania

Lebanon

Jordan

Egypt, Arab Rep.

54321

50

40

30

20

10

Knowledge Economy Index

Na

tio

na

l P

ov

ert

y r

ate

R-Sq 83.7%

R-Sq(adj) 78.2%

Yemen, Rep.

Tunisia

Syrian Arab Republic

Sudan

Morocco

Mauritania

Lebanon

Jordan

Egypt, Arab Rep.

Knowledge and poverty in the Arab region

“Knowledge and sciences” are empowerment tools for

the impoverished population

Strong Negative Correlation (0.819)

Regressions are based on KEI data of the World Bank 2012; and the latest available national poverty lines of sources of the World Bank ,UNDP, UNSD,

LAS and National Statistical Offices

Status of Knowledge and Sciences in the Arab Region

0 2 4 6 8 10

North America

Europe & Central Asia

East Asia & the Pacific

Latin America

World

Arab Region

South Asia

Africa

The Knowledge Economy Index for the World

Regions (2000-2012)

2012 2000

0 2 4 6 8 10

North America

Europe & Central Asia

East Asia & the Pacific

Latin America

World

Arab Region

South Asia

Africa

Innovation Index (2000-2012)

2012 2000

• 51.8 million illiterate (15 years and above)….of which 66% are

females ….

• Adults Literacy is 77.5% (15 years and above)….

• Illiterate Arab youth (age 15-24) is 6.9 million, of which 64%

are females ….

• Literacy rate among the youth (age 15-24) 89.7%, (92.8% for

male and 86.4% among females)

• 4.5 million Children are not enrolled to Schools, girls ratio is

57.8%

Structural Challenges before

“Knowledge and Sciences “ in the Arab region

0.% 50.% 100.%

Jordan

United Arab Emirates

Morocco

Yemen

Total sample

Jordan

United

Arab

Emirates

Morocco YemenTotal

sample

Unready (less than 25% of

total score)5 8.4 16.7 9.9 9.9

In the beginning (25% to

50% of the score)10.3 13.6 10.3 11.6 11.3

In the process (50% to

75% of the score)80 73.2 70.5 75.7 75.1

Ready (75% or more of

total score)4.7 4.8 2.5 2.8 3.7

Levels of Cognitive Readiness of Students Completing 11th Grade (in

Select Cities in Four Arab Countries)

Source: UNDP-AKR 2010/2011

Despite the Arab region having spent about

5% of GDP and 20% of government

budgets on education over the past 40

years, around 1/4 of the population (15

years & older) is unable to read or write,

and there are still some 52million illiterate

individuals in the Arab region.

Education: A Persisting Challenge…

Up to this date, the educational systems in the Arab region were not able to create a critical mass of technicians and knowledge workers capable of meeting the demands of the labor

market

Enrollment in higher education=24.1%

compared to world average of of 28.7% and

57.5% in Europe and Central Asia, and 59% in

Japan, and 75.8% in countries of very high HDI

• Arabic is the fourth among the top ten languages

used on the net.

• Arabic-speaking internet users are the fastest

growing group (5296%) during 2000-2013

• The rates of internet use in most Arab countries are

still less than the prevailing global rates

• Dissatisfactory levels of ICT applications for

development (Education, health, media, culture...

with relative exception of some GCC countries)

ICT and the Arabic E-Content…

…..a promising advancement

Research and Innovation …. Still lagging

behind…• Weak link between innovation and production/development

• Spending on R&D in the Arab region is among the least worldwide

(Ranging from 0.03 to 0.73% of GDP, most of it depends on

government funding with minimal involvement of the private sector )

• Scientific publishing and patents...modest achievements

• No positive correlation between income and creativity

• Loss of Arab human capital (brain drain) ... the ultimate result of low

incentives and high constraints (45% of Arab students who study

abroad do not return to their home countries)

• Relative advancement in some Arab countries: UAE, Bahrain, Oman,

KSA, Kuwait in addition to Jordan, Tunisia and Lebanon

Total number of registered patents, in 18 Arab

countries since 1963 until 2013, is 1821 ....which is

less than the sum of one country like Malaysia

Nevertheless …..

The Historic

Opportunity for

Establishing the

knowledge

society in the

Arab region

Human

wealth-

Youth

Global

Knowledge

and Science

Revolution

Financial

Wealth

Education

Knowledge

and Science

Governance /

enabling

environments

Science,

Technology

and

Innovation

ICT

SDGs

Future developmental efforts (policies, programmes,

projects…) at all regional and country levels need to focus on

…

• incorporating areas of knowledge and science advancement in any sustainable human development endeavour

• giving further consideration to development from the knowledge society/economy perspective.

And I say that life is indeed darkness save

when there is urge, and all urge is blind save

when there is knowledge, and all knowledge is

vain save when there is work”

Gibran Khalil Gibran