The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) took part in the “Forum for Open Research in MENA”, as a partner in this groundbreaking project.
The Forum, held on October 26-27, 2022 in Cairo, Egypt, brought together policymakers, researchers, academics, and international experts to reflect on issues related to Open Research, and to build networks of communication and cooperation among Open Research beneficiaries.
In his statement on this occasion, delivered on his behalf by Dr. Mohamed Kamal, Director of the Cairo-based Institute of Arab Research and Studies, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of ALECSO, noted that the Forum’s objectives are fully aligned with the directions pursued by ALECSO since its inception, especially as regards strengthening scientific research mechanisms and providing the means for its development. He emphasized the importance of diversifying research sources and activities, especially those that bring an added value to society.
The Director-General underlined the need to draw up a long-term vision and executive plans aimed at providing adequate conditions for scientific research and for digital knowledge production. He also considered it necessary to provide the needed funding for developing mechanisms to ensure immediate access to scientific knowledge, by investing in the content industry and making scientific content available on online platforms.
The Director-General reviewed some of ALECSO’s initiatives designed for the promotion of Open Research, including the organization of Arab forums during the “World Open Access Week”. ALECSO has worked to enrich the Arabic content in various scientific fields, to enhance the Arab scientific activity, as well as to promote the digitization of scientific, literary and cultural works, including manuscripts, encyclopedias, and other reference sources, and make them available on open access platforms. ALECSO has also supported the initiative of developing an online platform that includes all Arab national libraries, along with a comprehensive directory of open access periodicals and repositories.
