During the third Arab Sustainable Development Week (ASDW-III) organized by the League of Arab States and co-hosted by the Ministry of Planning, Monitoring and Administrative Reform, Synerjies was honored to organize a panel discussion on “Arab Readiness and Future Foresight”.
The panel was moderated by Eng. Khaled El-Sayed, Managing Director of Synerjies with the participation of Ms. Ghada Labib, Deputy Minister of Planning and Administrative Reform; Amb. Antonio Patriota, Ambassador of Brazil in Egypt; Dr. Hussein Abaza, Advisor to the Ministry of Environment; Mr. Ashraf Naguib, CEO of Global Trade Matters; and Ms. Terry Bitar, Founder and President of Charity Donation Lebanon.
The panel discussed the newest concepts growing in the public policy domain, particularly pertaining to sustainable development which are the concepts of “readiness” and “future foresight” which promote the need for being ready for the future and the challenges and opportunities it brings. Where “readiness” focuses on preparing for the inevitable, “future foresight” focuses on shaping the future. It aims to assist in accurate planning for the future as well as leading, supporting and prioritizing preemptive and responsive policies or initiatives through developing innovative solutions and providing alternatives.
This session opened a dialogue on defining and exploring the importance of Future Foresight and
Readiness for both developed and developing nations. How are these concepts implemented? By which
branches of government? What are the different applicable models of engagement? What are their pros
and cons?
This is of particular relevance to Arab nations who are currently experiencing various pressing challenges from outright conflict and instability to poverty and health issues to budgetary stresses and demographic changes. Given all these current challenges, what is the ideal emphasis that should be given to mitigating these challenges versus applying the concepts of Readiness and Future Foresight? Where is the delicate balance between investing in the future, being ready and prepared for what it brings, and dealing with the current challenges that we are facing in today’s life?
This is Synerjies’ first participation in the Arab Sustainable Development Week, an annual event by the League of Arab States, bringing together government officials, private sector actors, NGOs, development practitioners, and academics from around the Arab World to share experiences and discuss challenges they face in implementing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
