MANAMA: The countries across the Arab region need to focus on establishing indigenous thinktank or research institutes aims to utilise the information to address the issues or to formulate national policies with clear objectives in their respective societies, says Abdulla Khalifa Althawadi, Member of the Parliament.
“There is a need to promote the research perception across the society and research institute or thinktank need to tackle issues in the national perspective and then such input should be utlilised by the government or legislators in the policy making for the benefit of the political and economic sectors,” MP Althawadi, who is also Head of Parliament’s Human Rights Committee, on the sidelines of the 2nd DERASAT FORUM told reporters on Sunday.
In the Arab region, the MP said, there has been no major focus on research and development as lack of funding and lackluster attitude towards research and thinktanks remains key issues to address in future to keep abreast with the global shift.
“The question of non-availability of funds or less funds continue to hamper research projects in the Arab world,” he said, adding that there is a huge gap in funding, for example, in research related projects when we compare the developed and the developing nations.
Talking about the key steps for utilizing outcome of any research for the policy making, Althawadi highlighted three key areas including access to information for researchers followed by analysis of collected information, which according to him, should be carried out professionally and then make the end results available to the decision makers, legislators and government to come up with a national policy basis on the research findings.
DERASAT, he added, has emerged as an example especially in the leadership Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa who being its Chairman has brought tall stature to this institute.
“There is a research department within the parliament and whenever any specific information is required, we get appropriate and correct perspective on all issues which need to be debated or discussed,” MP said, while talking about the importance of the research at all levels of the society.
