The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO Observatory) has issued the first statistical bulletin for the year 2021, under the title : “Human Resources in Scientific Research and Development : The Current State in the Arab Countries”. The Bulletin offers statistical data and indicators on :
- The percentage of persons involved in scientific research and development in the Arab countries, compared to other regions of the world;
- The evolution of the number of researchers per million inhabitants in the Arab countries;
- The percentage of women among persons involved in scientific research and development in the Arab countries.
The available data and indicators on human resources involved in scientific research and development in the Arab countries reveal a relative increase in the number of researchers during the last decade, but still without reaching the levels of developed countries. They also show that despite the global economic downturn and the crises in some Arab countries, it is still possible to narrow the gap between Arab and developed countries toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 9 on “fostering innovation”.
The increase of Arab women’s rate of participation in the fields of scientific research and development is another indicator of progress toward achieving equal opportunities and gender equality, in line with Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Agenda.
