ARAB HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2004

This long awaited report has finally been released to the public. It is produced under the auspices of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The latest report is titled Arab Human Development Report 2004: Towards Freedom in the Arab World. You can obtain a digital copy for $10 from the Gulf Research Center in either Arabic or English.

Here is a preview from the UNDP site:(No pun intended)

• Political parties are permitted in 14 Arab countries. Libya and the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman) prohibit the formation of political parties.

• Journalists’ right to obtain information and news is legally assured in only five Arab states: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Sudan and Yemen.

• In only three Arab countries (Algeria, Sudan and Yemen), and in a fourth under occupation (Palestine), are presidents elected through direct elections with more than one candidate and with presidential term limits.