2006 Technical Assistance & Other Activities
During 2006, the Fund extended 32 grants, with a total value of approximately KD 13.9 million. These grants aim to strengthen economic and social development efforts in the Arab countries, through improving the capabilities and efficiency of their institutions. The grants included 13 inter-Arab grants, with a value of around KD 3.2 million, to support joint Arab interests, and 19 national grants, totaling around KD 10.7 million, from which 11 Arab states benefited.
In 2006, the Fund allocated three grants to support the implementation of emergency programs, at a total value of KD 8.0 million. The grants contributed to the financing of relief and construction programs in the Darfur region, urgent humanitarian relief in Lebanon as a result of the latest Israeli aggression, and supporting the emergency program to tackle avian influenza. The Fund’s grants program also maintained its emphasis on institutional support and training activities by allocating 10 national grants, totaling approximately KD 2.4 million, and 7 inter-Arab grants, with a value of about KD 1.0 million. These grants aimed at enhancing the performance and improving the services provided by specialized institutions, training their manpower, developing information systems, conducting population censuses, and supporting activities of several research, training and education centers. The remaining inter-Arab and national grants were allocated to the preparation of general studies and research, conducting feasibility studies, and organizing seminars and conferences to discuss issues and developments relevant to the Arab states. Tables (3) depicts the inter-Arab and national grants approved during 2006, and table (4) shows the distribution of grants according to their activities.
The Fund continued its efforts to support the perseverance of the Palestinian people, and to alleviate the dire circumstances that have harshly affected their living conditions under the occupation, in compliance with the decision of the Board of Governors of the Fund to allocate 10% of net income, which equaled KD 10.26 million (representing 10% of net income for 2005). Priorities of the program have been identified in coordination with the governor of Palestine, the concerned bodies and participating Arab financial institutions. The program includes supporting Palestinian universities and educational institutions, in addition to charitable societies and organizations that aim to provide health, education and social services, as well as provide drinking water, rehabilitate water networks and agricultural wells, develop industrial areas, support youth employment programs, and support the Al-Aqsa Fund. At the end of 2006, the cumulative total of the Fund’s contributions in compliance with the decision of the Board of Governors to allocate 10% of the net income for the years 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005, reached approximately KD 38.7 million. The grants provided have contributed to supporting development efforts in Palestine. This supplements the grants offered to Palestine under the regular grant program of the Fund, and whose cumulative total until the end of 2006 has reached KD 25.5 million.
Since the beginning of the Fund’s operations and until the end of 2006, the cumulative number of grants offered has reached 820, with a total value of KD 123.7 million. Of these grants, 400 were inter-Arab, with a total value of about KD 41.5 million. These grants were allocated towards providing institutional support and training programs in several specialized scientific and research centers, financing general studies and research in various economic and social development areas, conducting feasibility studies and project preparation, in addition to organizing seminars and meetings to discuss high-priority issues pertaining to Arab development. Furthermore, the cumulative number of national grants reached 420, with a total value of about KD 82.2 million. These grants were provided to several Arab countries in order to finance institutional support and training, organize seminars and conferences, as well as conduct feasibility studies, general studies and research. In addition, 11 of these national grants, with a total value of KD 18.7 million, were allocated to support the implementation of emergency programs.
Other Activities
In cooperation with the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, the Arab Monetary Fund and the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, the Arab Fund has continued to issue the Unified Arab Economic Report, which examines key economic and social developments in the Arab region. The Arab Fund has also maintained its cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND) in the preparation and issuance of the Arab Human Development Report. Furthermore, the Fund continues to hold the annual joint seminar with the Arab Monetary Fund, in collaboration with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This year, the seminar was held at the Arab Fund’s headquarters, under the heading “Investment, International Trade and Employment: Towards an Effective Role for the Private Sector in the Arab Countries.”
The Fund also continued to act as the Coordination Secretariat of the Arab National and Regional Development Institutions Group (Coordination Group), and prepared and participated in the group meetings. In addition, the Fund continued its cooperation and coordination with these institutions in managing and monitoring joint projects. In 2006, cooperation efforts concentrated on monitoring the execution of projects financed by the grant provided by the Kuwaiti Government to the Palestinian people, which valued US$ 25 million. The Fund also maintained its collaboration with the OPEC Fund for International Development in administering and monitoring grants provided to NGOs in Palestine, as well as projects financed by OPEC in several Arab countries. Moreover, the Fund continued its cooperation with the Islamic Development Bank in financing, implementing and supervising the projects of the Al-Aqsa Fund. It also participated in monitoring the activities of the Arab Trade Financing Program with the Arab Monetary Fund, and continued to cooperate with specialized Arab and international organizations, including the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development, the United Nations Development Programme, and the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA).
2006 Technical Assistance Grants | 2006 Technical Assistance By Activity
Table (3)
Technical Assistance Approved during 2006
|
|
Beneficiary/ Technical Grant |
Amount Allocated (KD 000) |
No. of Board's Resolution |
Date Approved by Board |
| A: Inter-Arab Grants | ||||
| 1. | Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) General Secretariat / Deepwater Fish Reserve Survey in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman (3) | 50 | 12/2006 | 07/03/2006 |
| 2. | UNDP / The Arab Human Development Report V (2006 Edition) (2) | 75 | 13/2006 | 07/03/2006 |
| 3. | Economic Research Forum / ERF's Thirteenth Annual Conference (4) | 100 | 14/2006 | 07/03/2006 |
| 4. | Inter-Arab / Seminar: Investment, International Trade and Employment (4) | 50 | 15/2006 | 07/03/2006 |
| 5. | Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research / Arab Libraries Networking (2) | 300 | 16/2006 | 07/03/2006 |
| 6. | Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research / Development of a Computer-Based Arabic Language Research Engine (2) | 300 | 22/2006 | 17/04/2006 |
| 7. | Inter-Arab (Fiesta Association for Specialized Care / Lebanon) / Building a Kindergarten and Dorm for Children with Special Needs (2) | 100 | 34/2006 | 28/06/2006 |
| 8. | ICARDA / Supporting the Center's Activities for 2006 (2) | 150 | 35/2006 | 28/06/2006 |
| 9. | Inter-Arab / Seminar on the Coordination Mechanism between Member Institutions of the Coordination Group and International Financial Institutions (4) | 25 | 38/2006 | 28/06/2006 |
| 10. | Arab Organization for Agricultural Development / Supporting the Emergency Program to Tackle Avian Influenza (5) | 2,000 | 39/2006 | 28/06/2006 |
| 11. | United Nations University (International Network on Water, Environment and Health) / Establishment of Water Virtual Learning Center in Dubai (2) | 40 | 60/2006 | 20/12/2006 |
| 12 | Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences / Conference of Arab Women Leaders in Science and Technology (4) | 20 | 62/2006 | 20/12/2006 |
| 13. | Task Zawam / Arab Participation in the International Theatre Festival of William Shakespeare (4) | 10 | 71/2006 | 20/12/2006 |
| Subtotal | 3,220 | |||
| B: National Grants | ||||
| 1. | Mauritania / Developing a Survey System for Institutions (2) | 200 | 7/2006 | 07/03/2006 |
| 2. | Egypt / General Population and Housing Census 2006 (2) | 500 | 8/2006 | 07/03/2006 |
| 3. | Oman / Supporting Centers of Voluntary Social Fidelity for Disabled Children (2) | 300 | 9/2006 | 07/03/2006 |
| 4. | Saudi Arabia / Supporting Women's Projects Program of the Small Enterprises Development Center (2) | 160 | 10/2006 | 07/03/2006 |
| 5. | Yemen / Construction of Septage Receiving Station in Sana'a (1) | 300 | 11/2006 | 07/03/2006 |
| 6. | Jordan / Supporting the National Agency for Mine Clearing and Rehabilitation (2) | 120 | 23/2006 | 17/04/2006 |
| 7. | Sudan / Consultancy Services for the Rossaires Dam Elevation Works (1) | 500 | 24/2006 | 17/04/2006 |
| 8. | Jordan / Supporting the Initiative in Developing Biological Sciences and Marketing Biotechnology Research (3) | 500 | 32/2006 | 28/06/2006 |
| 9. | Egypt / Aswan - Cairo Waterway Project (1) | 500 | 33/2006 | 28/06/2006 |
| 10. | Sudan / Establishing an Economic and Social Research Center (2) | 300 | 36/2006 | 28/06/2006 |
| 11. | Palestine / Supporting the Center for Information and Documentation of the Institute for Palestinian Studies (2) | 100 | 37/2006 | 28/06/2006 |
| 12. | Sudan / Relief and Construction in Darfur Region (5) | 3000 | 43/2006 | 28/06/2006 |
| 13. | Lebanon / Urgent Humanitarian Relief as a result of Israeli Aggression (5) | 3000 | 41/2006 | 01/08/2006 |
| 14. | Egypt / Study for Upgrading of Railroad Services (1) | 150 | 55/2006 | 20/12/2006 |
| 15 | Egypt / Development of Master Plan for Egyptian Power Transmission Network (1) | 250 | 56/2006 | 20/12/2006 |
| 16 | Algeria / Supporting Centers for Training, Healthcare and Education (2) | 150 | 57/2006 | 20/12/2006 |
| 17 | Jordan / Electronic Learning in Basic Education (2) | 300 | 58/2006 | 20/12/2006 |
| 18 | Kuwait / Designing Computer Programs for Primary School Curricula (2) | 300 | 59/2006 | 20/12/2006 |
| 19 | Kuwait / Conference of the Kuwait Transparency Society (4) | 15 | 61/2006 | 20/12/2006 |
| Subtotal | 10,645 | |||
| Total | 13,865 |
(1) Feasibility studies and project preparation.
(2) Institutional support and training.
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Table (4) Technical Assistance Commitments by Activity, 2006
(KD 000)
| Activity | During 2006 | During the Period 1974-2006 | ||||||||||
| Inter-Arab Grants | National Grants | Total | Inter-Arab Grants | National Grants | Total | |||||||
| Amount | % | Amount | % | Amount | % | Amount | % | Amount | % | Amount | % | |
| 1. Feasibility Studies and Project Preparation | - | - | 1,700 | 16.0 | 1,700 | 12.3 | 5,880 | 14.2 | 14,270 | 17.4 | 20,150 | 16.3 |
| 2. Institutional Support and Training | 1,015 | 31.5 | 2,430 | 22.8 | 3,445 | 24.8 | 22,404 | 54 | 46,910 | 57.1 | 69,314 | 56.1 |
| 3. General Studies and Research | - | - | 500 | 4.7 | 500 | 3.6 | 8,519 | 20.6 | 4,185 | 5.1 | 12,704 | 10.3 |
| 4. Seminars and Conferences | 205 | 6.4 | 15 | 0.1 | 220 | 1.6 | 2,659 | 6.4 | 125 | 0.1 | 2,784 | 2.2 |
| 5. Emergency Programs | 2,,000 | 62.1 | 6,000 | 56.4 | 8,000 | 57.7 | 2,000 | 4.8 | 16,700 | 20.3 | 18,700 | 15.1 |
| Total | 1,189 | 100 | 10,645 | 100 | 13865 | 100 | 41,462 | 100 | 82,190 | 100 | 123,652 | 100 |
Technical Assistance Commitments by Activity
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