The Yemen 21 Forum: BIRTH OF YEMEN’S 1st THINK TANK [Archives:1999/07/Focus]

This is an OPINION page.
Every week, a different intellectual writes a FOCUS on a pertinent issue! 

By:
Abdulaziz Al-Saqqaf,
Professor, Sanaa University.
This week, the Yemen 21 Forum starts its operation as the country’s first ever think tank. This should be seen as a milestone in the evolution and growth of civil society in Yemen.
As its name denotes, the Y21F is a non-profit non-governmental body that aims to help in the country’s strides towards the 21st century. It has a visible emphasis on local Non-Governmental Organizations in that it seeks to help in the launch, growth and performance of NGOs.
The Model:
When one thinks of think-tanks, the American experience immediately comes to mind. Although the philosophical roots and human experiments with think tanks run far back in history, the concept was perfected in its present format in the American setting. However, Europe and other countries quickly adopted the idea, and practice it to the extent that it has become a world phenomenon.
Today, as the values of democracy, popular participation in public life, multi-polar power structure, accountability and transparency, etc. are embraced by humanity at large, the role of think tanks is steadily rising. That is why the search for models and methodology has become important. Needless to say, there is no single model or standard, but the overall objectives and patterns can be grouped.
What Are Think Tanks?
The term ‘think-tank’ was first used in the post WW2 period. It was used to describe research organizations contracted by the Pentagon. As such, the Pentagon carried over the term from its use during the war to describe a secure room where intelligent military and civilian people met to discuss plans and strategies. Soon, the term was used to refer to private groups – usually academicians – that did the thinking for other parties on the basis of a specific contract.
Today, think tanks have grown to address issues that relate to the public interest. The popular image stands for independent scholarly organizations which do research, advocate ideas and propose decisions with an eye to maximizing the public interest of the country or the world.
In short, therefore, think tanks lobby the authorities by providing information and alternative decision possibilities. In that sense, they have become a reference point for objective and unbiased analysis and assessment of cases and situations.
The World Experience:
As mentioned earlier, think tanks in their present form are basically an American invention. Therefore, they are most abundant in the USA. It is estimated that there are over a thousand national-level think-tanks, mostly headquartered in Washington DC. In Europe, they are most visible in the Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, and to a lesser extent in Italy, Spain, and other countries.
Think-tanks have also sprung up in the newly democratized nations of East and Central Europe, Latin America, and leading Third World countries.
There is a glaring absence of think-tanks in the Far East, in spite of a democratic political structure. The most important reason for this situation is probably the strong sense of loyalty that individuals and groups have to display for the system. ‘Advice’ in the East has to be given discreetly. Besides, most companies do their research in-house.
In most of the developing countries, the idea is beginning to develop roots. This is associated with the rise of NGOs, and think tanks, themselves NGOs, are beginning to grow as part of this new development.
The reason for the rise of think-tanks in the present world today is the adoption of permeable and porous government decision-making structures that respond to external pressure and advice.
The Situation in Yemen:
Yemen has had various forms of think-tanks in its history. In most cases, however, the input was invited rather than based on the initiative of various special interest groups. Even then, the records of the ancient times offer many examples in which the rulers had a well-structured organization for consulting with specialized groups and individuals on specific matters.
When Islam came, it ordered that decision-makers and the general public get specialized advice from the learned -‘Isalu Ahla al zeker’.   However, the practice was not formalized or organized in a structured way. It was simply left to sporadic use and random applications as people saw fit.
In the recent history of Yemen, public input into government decision-making was very limited or even non-existent. As was the case with most dictatorships, the public was simply told to stay out of the way of the politicians .
But, with the democratization process which is now in progress, many individuals and groups in society are demanding to have a say in the management of the nation. The drive of participation by the people – often called expanding the input into government decision-making – is gaining momentum. This is already clear from the many political parties, newspapers, NGOs, and other organizations which influence public life.
Now, there is a new addition – Yemen 21 Forum, the country’s first think tank.
The Yemen 21 Forum:
For several months now, many intellectuals and public figures have been working on the idea of setting up a mechanism for helping in the country’s evolution towards democracy, development and in general more harmony and prosperity.
The original core group included representatives of government, NGOs and business. Included Dr. Faraj Bin Ghanim, Mr. Faisal Bin Shamlan, Dr. Abubakar Al-Qirby, Engineer Mohammed Al-Tayyeb, Mr. Mohammed Abdo Saeed, Dr. Mohammed Al-Afandi, Ahmed Saleh Al-Salami, etc. Today, the number of people who will be involved in the Y21F is expected to grow to nearly two dozen.
The official formalities for the establishment of the Y21F were completed in October 1998. But, its organization is still under construction, and will continue to evolve for some time. That is because it is the first of its kind, and it has to adjust to Yemen’s conditions.
Main Tasks:
The Y21F has five main tasks as stipulated in its by-laws and plan of action. These are:
1) To provide office space, meeting room, and basic administrative and information services for the start-up of new NGOs, and for the growth and better performance of different civil society organizations.
2) To focus on important issues of national concern, study the data, and draw-up conclusions and proposals on alternatives. These research results are then shared with community elders, business leaders, and officials.
3) Offer advice and consultations on pending local, regional and international issues to the authorities and various power centers, and to discuss with them the pros and cons of various decisions.
4) To co-sponsor and promote the establishment of the Yemeni Transparency Organization. This is an anti-corruption NGO which seeks to help in the on-going correction and reform efforts.
5) To publish data and analysis on a periodic basis, and to issue an annual “State of the Nation” report. Another planned research activity includes a visionary study entitled “Yemen 2010”. This will study various scenarios of Yemen in the year 2010.
We will have to wait and see how successful Yemen’s first think-tank will be.

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