Promoting development

The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALESCO) aims to promote and coordinate at the regional level in the Arab world, among others: human resources intellectually, morally and culturally to their maximum potential; Arab economic and social sciences; scientific development and application of modern technology, with the purpose of creating the appropriate atmosphere for transfer of modern technology into Arab countries; improvement of environmental development in Arab countries so as to ensure proper scientific use of their resources consistent with their present and future requirements; Arab-Islamic culture; international endeavours for development of mass media and communication, and of data processing and documentation. Achievements include Arab Strategy of Education - 1978; Pilot Projects for Developing Science and Mathematics Teaching - 1978; Arab Strategy for Literacy and Adult Education - 1978; The Overall Arab Strategy of Culture - 1983; The Arabization of Dewey's Decimal Classification - 1984; Medium Range Plan for the Dissemination of the Arabic Islamic Culture - 1985; Establishment of Farabi Data Bank - 1985; Arab-Islamic Educational Thought - 1987; Arab Strategy for Science and Technology - 1987; A Unified System of Communication - 1987; The Palestinian Encyclopaedia - 1990. Under Execution: Strategy for Documentation and Information in the Arab Countries; A Reference Book in the History of the Arab Nation.

One of the primary aims of the Commonwealth is to advance the social and economic development of its member countries. The heart of this effort is the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC). Through the Commonwealth Secretariat, the CFTC provides advice, hands-on expertise and training wherever they are needed. The CFTC is a mutual and voluntary fund supporting multilateral Commonwealth development co-operation. Governments contribute finances, training places (offering places at their best training institutions) and expertise according to their ability, draw on these resources according to their need, and govern the CFTC jointly. In this way many successful innovations have been transferred from one developing country to another. Thirty of the fifty Commonwealth countries are small states (populations of about a million more or less, islands, landlocked or remote), and as such they are provided special support. In 1990/1991, CFTC activities included: the setting up, upgrading or rehabilitating of about 100 enterprises (3 million pounds sterling each year); 280 long and short-term specialists and advisers (7.1 million pounds); 60 marketing projects and some 40 field specialists in the exporting industry (2 million pounds each year); consultancy services in economic and resource development (1.9 million pounds); nearly 4,500 training awards for management and technical staff (7.2 million pounds); funding programmes managed by other parts of the Secretariat (1.4 million pounds). Expenditure for 1991/1992 totalled 22.6 million pounds, of which 43.6 percent were allocated to Africa, 20.5 percent to the Caribbean; 13.1 percent to the Pacific region; 9.4 percent to Asia; 1.8 percent to the Mediterranean region. About one third of the CTFC sponsored experts work in economic and social development, and about a fifth in administrative and managerial reform, as well as human resource development. Most experts are from developing member countries. A project is complete when its running is in the hands of a fully-skilled national team.