Arab Thought Foundation concludes FIKR15 conference

The Arab Thought Foundation concluded yesterday its annual FIKR15 conference, held throughout this week under the patronage of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and in partnership with the Arab League, at the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort in Abu Dhabi.

The conference gathered leading regional officials, policy-makers and academics to discuss issues and challenges currently facing the Arab world, focusing this year on the topic of  “Arab Integration: The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)”.  The theme of Arab integration continues from FIKR14, held in Shikrat, Morocco, under the title of “Arab Integration: The Dream of Unity and the Reality of Division”.

The closing ceremony and third plenary session presented conclusions and recommendations established by participating delegates across the parallel specialized and interactive sessions. As a result of the findings, the Arab Thought Foundation committed to focussing on the relationship between media and scientific research, economic and political issues, Arab integration, and social knowledge throughout 2017. 

Speaking at the plenary session, HRH Prince Khalid Al Faisal, President of the Arab Thought Foundation, said: “We have heard the views and opinions raised here, but it will take decades to until we see the direct effects on the ground. What we see today is a new feature of the Arab renaissance that we are seeking, which emphasizes that we were on the right track when we established the Foundation.”

“We see nowadays that there is a rapid response to the ideas of intellectual politicians, and I believe that this is a landmark feature of the change happening throughout the Arab world,” HRH concluded.

The last day of the conference included a panel session, led by Director General of the Arab Thought Foundation, Professor Henri Awit, who commented on the Foundation’s annual Arab Report on Cultural Development. “In all areas of the report, it was important to highlight the cultural initiatives and institutions in each country. However, the report does not focus only on the local level, as we were keen to highlight the cultural scene across the GCC region.”

Similarly, Dr Hassan Madan, former head of studies at the Department of Culture and Information in Sharjah, said “I prefer to talk about an Arabic culture in Gulf countries, rather than a Gulf culture. Governments have accomplished a great deal across different cultural fields. However, the distinguished characteristic of creative cultural spaces must also be taken into account”.

Results of the interactive session were presented by Mohammed Abu Shaqra, of the Paris Institute of Political Studies, who explained that 192 delegates have participated in 23 working groups, delivering a total of 89 questions for discussion.

Summarising the findings of the interactive session, Abu Shaqra said: “Trust is the foundation of a knowledge-based society and forms the basis of social capital. Without trust, societies do not develop.”

The conference also included a plenary session concentrating on the experiences of the GCC. The session included a panel discussion featuring Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg, Assistant Secretary General for Foreign Affairs at the GCC; Amine Gemayel, Former President of Lebanon; Dr. Amr Moussa, former Secretary General of the Arab League; Abdullah Bishara, former Secretary General of the GCC; and Ahmad Al Jarwan, former speaker of the Arab Parliament.

Dr. Aluwaisheg stressed that the GCC, which was founded in Abu Dhabi in 1981, is working on economic and developmental principles from scratch that have expanded with infrastructural developments. He stated that the most important aspect is to continue maintaining security and to support the Arab identity, as well as empowering the interests of the region’s populations on the developmental level.

Amr Moussa spoke of the GCC’s achievements throughout its member states, noting that there are opportunities and hope for the region, which must take citizens’ experiences into account and fulfill their requirements. He also highlighted the need for joint frameworks to face regional and international challenges of political agendas being imposed on the Arab world.  

Prior to the conference, the Arab Thought Foundation published Sunday an extensive report titled “Culture and Cultural Integration in the GCC: Policies, Institutions and Manifestations”. The report was presented at a launch ceremony featuring speeches by HE Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development; HRH Prince Khalid Al Faisal, President of the Arab Thought Foundation; and Professor Henri Awit, Director General of the Arab Thought Foundation.

The extensive report, which compiled a series of studies by prominent regional officials, researchers and academics, was split into three sections that focused on the cultural policies and strategies, cultural institutions and cultural creativity in the GCC member-states.

The Arab Thought Foundation will present findings of the research areas highlighted throughout the conference at its next annual conference, FIKR16.