Advisory - Human development in Arab states: Entrenched hurdles and the road
ahead

OTTAWA, May 31 /CNW Telbec/ - The Arab Human Development Report 2009 paid special attention to the role of good governance and human security in development. The UN-sponsored study was highly critical of Arab governments for the entrenched political, economic, and social problems that undermine the lives and freedoms of people in the region. Respected development expert Rima Khalaf Hunaidi will deliver a lecture at Canada's International Development Research Centre on June 3 in which she will analyze the internal and external factors that have hindered the development of Arab states. Khalaf will also argue that political reform is an essential component for development and evaluate the responsibilities of various players in the Arab region as well as the possible role and risk of the involvement of Western countries in promoting reform.

    
    When: Thursday June 3, 2010, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
    Where: IDRC, 150 Kent (corner of Albert), 8th Floor
    

Rima Khalaf Hunaidi is the former Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States of the UN Development Programme, where she was the principle architect of the pioneering Arab Human Development Report series. Previously, she held several high-ranking positions in the Jordanian government, serving as Minister of Industry and Trade; Planning; and Deputy Prime Minister. Khalaf was the Chair of the UN Global Democracy Fund Advisory Board and the Chief Executive Officer of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation. She is currently a visiting scholar at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Khalaf's lecture is the fifth in the Speakers of Renown series, which will be held throughout 2010 to mark IDRC's 40th anniversary. Journalists and the public can follow the lecture on our live webcast at www.idrc.ca/events-khalaf, or join in the conversation through Twitter and Facebook. Upcoming headliners include are South Africa's Trevor Manuel, who went from anti-apartheid activist to one of the forces that made that country's economy one of the most robust in Africa; and Margaret McMillan, historian and author of the award-winning Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World.

The event is open to the media. French and English simultaneous interpretation is available. Spaces are limited and journalists are encouraged to register by calling Isabelle Bourgeault-Tassé at 613-696- 2343 or e-mailing at [email protected].

For more information and the live webcast, visit www.idrc.ca/events-khalaf

About IDRC

Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is one of the world's leading institutions in the generation and application of new knowledge to meet the challenges of international development. For 40 years, IDRC has worked in close collaboration with researchers from the developing world to build healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous societies.

For further information: Isabelle Bourgeault-Tassé, Senior Media Advisor, IDRC, [phone], [email protected]