"The Afro-Asian Knowledge-Based Society Initiative"

Closing Statement Draft
Decisions and Recommendations

The International Founders Conference " An Afro-Asian Knowledge-based Society Initiative" was held in Cairo, January 11-12, 2009, under the patronage of Egyptian Prime Minister Mr. Ahmad Nazif.

The Conference was organized by both the Afro-Asian Peoples Solidarity Organization (AAPSO) and the Arab Knowledge and Management Society (AKMS) supported by Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org).

Deputizing for H.E Prime Minister Mr. Ahmad Nazif, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Dr. Tarek Kamel inaugurated the event. Attending the Conference were Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former United Nations Secretary General and Chairman of Egypts National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) as well as a number of Arab and foreign ministers and ambassadors, the representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and high-ranking officials from African and Asian countries; in addition to AAPSO?s committees and AKMS and TAG-Org?s experts.

The purpose behind organizing and sponsoring this conference is to confirm the peoples of Africa and Asia to benefit from the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) revolution. It also emphasizes on the crisis the Afro-Asian countries are encountering in a way or another.

In addition, the event highlighted the fact that with all the obstacles, risks and crises the countries in these continents face, they have the right to be a cornerstone in the global knowledge-based society with all its developments.

The conference also underscored the necessity to build an Afro-Asian network to achieve the knowledge-based economy and another network to exchange information and assimilate the latest developments in the world of knowledge.

Known for its concern about the welfare of the Afro-Asian peoples, Egypt has hosted this venue at the Conference Hall at the Smart Village, state-of-the-art economic and technological premises.

Minister Tarek Kamel expressed his appreciation for this event that practically translates the decisions taken by the African Summit Conference convened in Sharm Al-Sheikh last June. This event is inspired by the strategic historic inauguration speech delivered by President Hosni Mubarak where he emphasized on the necessity of establishing cooperation networks in economy, development, and infrastructure fields.

The Egyptian Minister extended his thanks and appreciation to the organizers and directed a special thanks to the TAG-Org Chairman and CEO for the Organization?s support and efforts in serving the Arab and developing countries in Africa and Asia.

Speaking at the opening session were Dr. Ghali, Mr. Ahmed Hamroush, AAPSO president, representatives from the UNESCO, International Telecommunication Union and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Meanwhile, Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, AKMS president, stressed that the efforts exerted by AKMS in cooperation with TAG-Org represent a serious commitment to achieve one of the goals of the United Nations Global Compact in the field of corporate social responsibility.

He also extended his thanks to all the concerned parties and ministries in Egypt for their support and cooperation.

Working Papers: About twenty papers were presented during the conference by experts focusing on the following topics:

• Building a knowledge-based society through the partnership among governments, private sector and civil society.
• Legal structure, qualification and building human capacity
• Intellectual Property Rights and knowledge-based society
• Cambridge International IT Skills Diploma using information and communication technology.
• TAG-Org?s role as a model for Africa and Asia and the establishment of a knowledge-based society centers.
• Achieving knowledge-based economy through the establishment of a coordinating Afro-Asian council, building an Afro-Asian network to exchange information, and another network to provide e-solutions.
• Establishment of a network affiliated with international organizations to provide consulting services in the sectors of economy, education, finance and trade.
• Successful experiences in a number of Afro-Asian countries for the advancement of knowledge-based society and information and communication technology.

Decisions and Recommendations

After presenting all these papers, lectures, debates and exchange of information, the Conference reached the following decisions:
Decisions

• Election of Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh the Afro-Asian Knowledge-Based Society Initiative chairman.
• Entrusting Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh to update the UN Secretary General of the Conference?s results and informing all UN agencies and international bodies of the same.

Recommendations:

The following recommendations were reached:

First: Institutionalize the Conference to be convened on a regular basis to maintain communication.

Second: Considering participants at the Founders? Conference members in the temporary Founding Preparatory Committee; considering the Steering and Guidance Committee a permanent and stable mechanism to resume the efforts to convene conferences and seminars, and any other activities agreed upon by the Founders? Conference or stated in the Cairo Deceleration.

Third:

A-Building an Afro-Asian network to exchange information at low cost, and involve communities from both continents in the information necessary to comprehend the latest technical developments.

B-Establishing advisory companies connected to international organizations.

C. Establishing companies that provide solutions, to serve as extensions to advisory companies.

D- Establishing an Afro-Asian council to implement the decisions to revive the Bandung Principles issued during the Afro-Asian Summit held in Jakarta, April 2005.

E- Forming an Afro-Asian Wisemen Council that includes leaders, intellects, scientists who contributed to the development of both continents.

F- Representing the Afro-Asian Initiative in the Non-Aligned Movement Summit meetings to be held in July 2009 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

G- Seeking to be a member at the UN Economic and Social Council.

H- Joining Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) initiative to prepare a report and working plan to develop the Arab knowledge-based society to be expanded to include Afro-Asian countries.

Fourth: Asking decision-makers in Asian and African countries to implement the necessary measures to create an environment that allows the development of "information societies" through regional cooperation between communities of both continents. AKMS experts can help achieve that by focusing on the following:

• Facilitating access to and use of technical information sources.
• Providing decision-makers with supporting and appropriate information.
• Enabling business enterprises and the public to benefit from using information and knowledge.
• Providing information flow for communication with all parts of the world.

Fifth: Participants recommended the development of an Afro-Asian initiative to achieve the knowledge-based economy; and this requires development and improvement in the following four major areas: Human resources, sources of information, institutional and administrative systems and technical resources

Sixth: Considering TAG-IPR TV , the first satellite channel in the world to present Intellectual Property issues, as a media outlet to serve the Initiative?s goals and message.

And accordingly, the following is required:

• Setting up and implementing a new educational plan for mastering IT including the Internet and multi-communications.
• Establishing the infrastructure of the Afro-Asian Informatics.
• Developing necessary legislation for the transmission of technology through licensing and franchise agreements and as a necessary transitional stage for the development of advanced national technology.
• Developing an integrated and strict system for protection of Intellectual Property Rights for inventions, trademarks, copyrights and other components of knowledge.

In conclusion, the participants confirmed that the peoples of Africa and Asia stand today facing a new civilization challenge and affirm the confidence and ability to achieve victory, through work with determination and dedication; as development, progress and building, as we can see today, will be exclusive to knowledge-makers.

Ahmed Hamroush

President of the Afro-Asian Peoples Solidarity Organization

Talal Abu-Ghazaleh

President of the Arab Knowledge and Management Society

AAPSO Honorary Member