This
regional consultative meeting on “A Social Science Strategy for the
Arab States” was organized by the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies
(LCPS) with the UNESCO Regional
Office to support the preparation of an Social and Human Science
(SHS) strategy for the UNESCO
in the Arab region. The meeting brought together about 12 Arab senior
social scientists to brainstorm and engage in an intensive exchange
of ideas and suggestions for a proposed social science strategy for
the Arab region, that UNESCO could build upon and develop.
The meeting
dicussed priority issues and substantive topics to be promoted and
supported through a UNESCO led program, for their relevance for knowledge-building,
social change, human advancement and efficient policy-making in Arab
societies. The meeting also debated field-building programs, initiatives
and measures, through which UNESCO could support the capacity building
of the Arab social science research community, the development of
its leading research institutions and the strengthening of its ability
to network, communicate and interact with the decision making community
and the civil society at large, in the Arab world and on the international
level.
After the Beirut consultation, the LCPS produced
an executive summary-report, that highlighted the major ideas
and proposals that emerged from the meeting, which constituted a background
document for the preparation of an SHS-UNESCO strategy for the Arab
region.
