Statement of Ms. Rima Khalaf,
Executive Secretary of ESCWA and
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
On the occasion of the launch of the ESCWA Report
"Arab Integration: A 21st Century Imperative"
Tunis, 25 February 2014
Your Excellency President Moncef Marzouki,
Your Excellency Mr. Najib Mikati,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is with great pleasure that I stand before you today to launch the ESCWA Arab Integration Report. The release of this report, which calls for a renaissance embracing the entire Arab region, is certainly a happy occasion, especially as we gather in a country which has proven that such a renaissance is possible and with a people who confirmed their will and inspired us all.
Tunisia does not derive its strength from being the largest; nor the most populous or wealthiest Arab country. Its strength derives from its achievement of democracy and its new constitution, which surpasses all other Arab constitutions in protecting rights, freedoms and human dignity.
As has been the case in other Arab countries, the Tunisian process of democratic transition was fraught with political and security crises and was not without opponents. Nevertheless, the forces behind the Tunisian revolution were more aware and astute. They prevented the enemies of progress from thwarting the revolution, and protected the country from sliding back towards oppression or descending into violence. In so doing, they secured a safe and prosperous future for the people of Tunisia, providing hope to all Arabs and serving as a beacon for their liberation from the hardships that had darkened their present and robbed them of their future.
Tunisia's democratic achievement was not the result of foreign backing or donor assistance. On the contrary, the absence of such interference was the reason for its success. It was a purely Tunisian success, the result of the unequalled political acumen of every Tunisian political party and reflected in the prevalence of consensus over exclusion, dialogue over confrontation, and participation over marginalization. These forces are to be commended for their foresight. They have sacrificed the interests of the few for the benefit of the many and transformed their differences from a pretext for conflict and division to a source of progress and creativity.
Ladies and gentlemen,
These revolutions for freedom and dignity inspired all Arabs and gave them hope that renaissance and well-being were within their reach; it was a hope that had been stripped from them by oppression and regression. These revolutions unsettled certain social groups that had long pandered to oppressors and fed on corruption, brutally obstructing any change that threatened their interests. These groups formed alliances with regional powers whose legitimacy was challenged by the rise of democracy in neighbouring countries, as well as with global powers whose interests were undermined by the possibility of Arab peoples taking the reins of power in their countries. These alliances impeded the forces of revolution and stunted democratic transitions in more than one Arab country, using a variety of means. Some of these drew on foreign anti-revolutionary tactics, while others recycled the very methods employed by Arab revolutionaries. In other instances, former powers fiercely suppressed the uprisings, submerging their countries in destructive chaos and their peoples in bloody conflicts. Some observers have applauded the failure of the Arab revolutions, while others warned of their repercussions.
The report before you tackles the subject of the so-called Arab Spring, while recognizing that the path to democracy and good governance is long, torturous and rife with peril. Nevertheless, this report claims that oppression is gone for good, regardless of the mask it wears. These revolutions have given birth to new Arab citizens who have definitively broken the shackles of fear and oppression. They are more aware of their rights, more confident in their capabilities and potential, and prouder than ever of their culture, which has launched them on an irreversible course towards freedom. These new Arab citizens may be defeated in some battles, but they will not give up or compromise their dignity until they have achieved their dreams-dreams which they now consider to be inalienable rights, rather than privileges or gestures of good will.
Ladies and gentleman,
This promise of change that has improved the future prospects of Arabs encouraged ESCWA to revive discussions on the issue of integration. Any change that could bring political regimes closer to the will of their people would undeniably transform the Arab integration project from an elusive desire to a reachable goal. With this in mind, we collaborated with an eminent group of Arab thinkers and experts to produce a report that evaluates the achievements of the Arab integration process and analyses its shortcomings. The aim of the report is not to pass blame, but rather to propose methods to revive this project whose ultimate goal is a comprehensive renaissance that meets the aspirations of the Arab people and empowers them to resume their role in human civilization.
Integration is not a novelty of our making. Arab countries recognized before others the importance of establishing a strong and resilient bloc that protects their independence and strengthens their economies. These countries signed a joint defence treaty during the middle of the twentieth century, to safeguard their integrity and security. They also adopted an agreement to establish Arab economic unity which was unprecedented at the time given that it ensured the free movement of persons, capital, goods and labour among Arab countries and the right to own property within them.
Six decades have passed, and yet Arab countries have achieved only a few of their provisions. The prospect of joint defence faded when the supposed 'protectors' of Arab interests submitted to their aggressors; economic unity was whittled down to a free trade zone that some Arab countries still attempt to limit as much as possible.
While the goals of Arab integration were being diminished and diluted, the other regions of the world coalesced into powerful economic blocs. The countries of those regions realized that their prospects for growth and competitiveness would shrink if they were to enter the era of globalization alone, but would grow hand in hand with the expansion of their regional bloc. While others were joining forces to protect themselves, the Arab region was becoming increasingly polarized. Consequently, the valuable opportunities that integration would have offered to liberate the Arab peoples from fear and need, and the Arab countries from unbridled interference and dependency, were wasted.
The report analyses the reason for these failures and finds that many of them are the result of inherent flaws. Nevertheless, the Arab integration project was plagued with foreign interference. This interference began long ago, when colonial powers were determined to block Arab unity, and thus divided its parts, notably through the creation of a deep geopolitical schism in Palestine that isolated the Arab Mashreq from the Maghreb.
The effects of fragmentation have blighted all Arabs; observers cannot but notice the consequences of decades of division and underdevelopment. It is an explosive combination of threats and challenges, characterized by unconstrained foreign interference and human misery.
Foreign interference comes in various forms, such as violations of Arab rights and dignity, but its worst manifestation is the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the Syrian Golan Heights and Lebanese territories, in flagrant breach of international conventions and resolutions.
The authors of the report claim that the damage caused by Israeli policies is not limited to occupation activities, but they believe that aggressive Israeli policies, including its support for discord aimed at establishing Arab sectarian mini-States and its nuclear programme that is not subject to international monitoring, pose a continuous threat to the security of Arab citizens in the region as a whole.
The most dangerous of these policies is Israel's adamancy that it is a Jewish State, which violates the rights of both the Muslim and Christian indigenous populations and revives the concept of state ethnic and religious purity, which caused egregious human suffering during the twentieth century.
The report claims that Arab rights would not have been trampled; Jerusalem would not have suffered under Judaization policies, land confiscation and the expulsion of populations; and Muslim and Christian holy shrines would not have been desecrated if Arabs had stood united and coordinated their efforts, or at least met their existing commitments to joint defence.
Internal flaws have caused as much damage to Arab national security as foreign interference has. Social cohesion is currently under threat following decades of oppression during which Arab rights were stripped and freedoms were repressed. Relations between citizens and the State were weakened and diverted towards sub-identities, to the detriment of the national identity. The report addresses the cultural crisis that has stunted creativity and intellectual thought, causing the region’s cultural heritage to stagnate and giving rise to extremism and intolerance. This in turn exacerbated ethnic and sectarian tensions, and encouraged separatist movements in some Arab societies, threatening territorial integrity, civil peace and national security. Human suffering increased as did the numbers of refugees and displaced persons, until the Arab region, which encompasses less than 5 per cent of the world’s population, became the source of more than half of its refugees.
The Arab economic and social development also had its shortcomings, unless success is measured by the construction of skyscrapers and the consumption of knowledge and goods produced by others. Development failures have led to economic weakness, unemployment, poverty and injustice. The report gives numerous examples of these but I will only mention a few.
After several decades of development planning, Arab countries are less industrialized today than they were in the 1960s, and the Arab region is ranked among the lowest in the world in terms of productivity.
Despite the appearances of extreme wealth, poverty has spread to the point of affecting one-fifth of the Arab population today. Unemployment continues to rise, depriving a quarter of Arab men and a fifth of Arab women employment opportunities that could guarantee a decent standard of living. Malnutrition is also widespread, affecting 50 million Arabs. Over half a million children in Yemen and one million in Somalia are in danger of starving to death.
Corruption has also spread and several Arab countries have ranked high on global corruption lists. International studies show that the average amount of illicit financial flows smuggled from the Arab countries has exceeded 111 billion US dollars per year. The mix of oppression and corruption has undermined the potential of Arab societies; people are preoccupied either with fleeing injustice or benefitting from corruption.
Development policies have failed to ensure free and decent lives for the overwhelming majority of Arab citizens and joint Arab initiatives have fallen short of achieving their goals, disappointing the Arabs of today and dashing the hopes of future generations.
Ladies and gentleman,
This report presents a strategic vision for integration and renaissance encompassing all aspects of social structures and value systems and guaranteeing the rights of all Arab citizens to a decent life and to economic and moral well-being, regardless of race, religion or gender.
The integration strategy rests on three pillars: firstly, Arab political cooperation that supports good democratic governance, ensuring equality among citizens and guaranteeing freedom, justice and dignity for all. Such cooperation allows the establishment of a vital bloc through which the Arab countries would acquire resilience and immunity and be able to act in unison in international forums, with a view to ending the chronic violations of Arab rights and Arab territories.
Secondly, the strategy calls for the enhancement of economic integration, starting with the implementation of existing Arab agreements, so as to achieve full Arab economic unity.
The third and perhaps most critical pillar would be educational and cultural reform, aimed at reviving the Arab culture of creativity; repairing the damage inflicted by centuries of tyranny upon knowledge, science, values and ethics; and dismantling cultural and intellectual structures that have fomented isolationism, extremism and dependence on and fascination with all that is foreign. A cultural renaissance would create innovative citizens who would drive progress and build knowledge societies and economies. Without knowledge, development would not be possible in a world where knowledge has become the factor that differentiates between poverty and wealth, impotence and capacity, failure and success.
Given the current situation in the region, this strategic vision might appear overambitious; nevertheless, its ultimate goal is worth the effort. Delaying integration would only perpetuate foreign interference, fan the flames of sedition and waste the creative potential of society.
Recognizing that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, the report suggests a series of initial procedures to enhance communication among Arab citizens and create an environment immune to foreign interference; these short-term proposals can be implemented easily without overburdening Arab countries.
As for ending the Israeli occupation and protecting the rights of its victims, the report does not advise the Arab countries to mobilize troops or allocate billions of dollars in support of the Palestinians. It simply suggests that they prohibit trade with Israeli settlements, following in the footsteps of European countries; pursue a decision from the International Court of Justice to ban Israel from issuing certificates of origin for goods produced in the settlements; and oblige other countries to deal with Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian and Arab territories as illegal entities.
In order to facilitate the free movement of persons, the report has not insisted upon lifting visa requirements for Arabs wishing to visit other Arab countries. It only recommends that Arabs be treated in the same way as the citizens of the most favoured nation when travelling within their own region.
Among the report’s short-term recommendations concerning the reduction of trade costs was the speedy development of Arab infrastructure, including the bridge that links Arab countries located in Asia and Africa. The report sets out compelling evidence that simple procedures, such as reducing transport costs and increasing the number of Arab migrant workers within the region would increase Arab gross domestic product by over 750 billion US dollars within a few years and would create more than 6 million job opportunities.
You said, Mr. President, that it is naïve to attempt to change the world but a crime not to. This report is our attempt. We hope that if you carry it to the next Arab Summit, it will be considered by the Arab leaders, who may adopt what they deem appropriate short-term recommendations, if nothing else. This could be the first step in overcoming the status quo, which can only breed further deficit and weakness.
Ladies and gentlemen,
This brief overview of the Arab Integration Report sought to present the highlights of this collaborative effort between ESCWA and an elite group of Arab intellectuals. Despite our best efforts to ensure compliance with research rules and to employ sophisticated methods in preparing the report, it remains a point of view; some may disagree on the accuracy of its analysis and diagnosis of the situation and on the efficacy of its recommendations. We hope that the report will open an Arab dialogue that would lead either in agreement or disagreement to further developing its content. The Arab region must rise for its own sake and the sake of others. This is a necessity for us, and a right of the generations to come. The world would be enriched by the region’s contribution and values of tolerance, once it has emerged from ignorance and oppression. We can no longer afford not to actively seek the achievement of this greatest and most noble mission.
In conclusion, I would like to extend my warmest thanks to the team of authors for their outstanding creativity, professionalism and dedication, as well as to the Advisory Board who offered guidance and advice without which the report would not have been as objective and exhaustive.
I would also like to express my gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Najib Mikati for the continuous support of Lebanon for ESCWA and its activities, and for personally travelling from Beirut to Tunis to participate in this event.
I would like to thank all of you for your presence and participation. Finally, I extend my most sincere gratitude to President Moncef al-Marzouki for hosting the launch of this report, and for openly accepting our candid opinions.