The industrial revolution the world witnessed in the twentieth century, and the revolution it is currently witnessing in information and communication technology, genetic engineering and genomics, have posed – and still pose – major scientific, social and cultural challenges for the Arab states and peoples. Because culture is an essential element in shaping identity, the issue of promoting Arab culture in general, and scientific and technological culture in particular, is considered one of the extremely important issues socially and economically, as it is one of the necessary pillars to ensure a better future for the emerging Arab generations in light of the global trends towards "knowledge economy societies." Because the cultural components and elements of any culture overlap and blend to form a single homogeneous fabric, negative influence by other cultures creates undesirable distortions in this fabric. On the one hand, the unstudied borrowing or transfer of sciences from other cultures poses behavioral and ethical repercussions that may not be consistent with the authentic culture, and on the other hand, the activities of promoting technological sciences, enhancing them, and activating scientific media programs in developing societies are beset by a set of technical, organizational, administrative, financial and ethical obstacles. Among the most prominent obstacles in this regard is the scarcity of human cadres with scientific competence and media experience, capable of presenting scientific culture topics, formulating their ideas, and implementing their programs in an engaging and effective manner. Disseminating scientific and technological culture according to a perspective that is in harmony with the culture, heritage and civilizational legacy of the Arab peoples and does not ethically conflict with their beliefs, is one of the most important endeavors aimed at helping these societies enter the ''knowledge societies,'' as a means of achieving sustainable development, crystallizing thought, and consolidating the love of learning and of knowing everything surrounding aspects of life and decision-making, without abandoning the values, constants and cultural features that distinguish them. Because scientific culture covers a vast area of diversity and multiplicity at different levels, it is self-evident that scientific culture should be given a leading position in comprehensive development, so that it becomes an integral part of the cultural formation of Arab societies.

Recommendations of the relevant conferences, seminars and expert meetings. ALECSO has made great efforts to contribute to disseminating scientific culture in Arab societies across their various categories, taking into account the particularity of each Arab state. It has implemented many specialized activities and programs to enhance the dissemination of scientific culture in our Arab world, which are hoped to gradually lead to transforming the recipient of simplified sciences into a scientifically cultured person, who has a conscious awareness of the nature of scientific and technological knowledge, and constantly seeks to acquire more information, as it carried out:

Producing the "Strategy for Disseminating Scientific and Technological Culture in the Arab World 2006

In its four chapters, the strategy addressed the following main issues:

• Scientific and technological culture: concepts, principles, trends
• The current status of disseminating scientific and technological culture.
• Future trends of disseminating scientific and technological culture.
• Building and developing human capacities.
• The role of the media.
• The role of non-formal (and community) educational activity
• The role of civil society.
• The role of international organizations and institutions.
• Confronting the obstacles and challenges of disseminating scientific and technological culture.
• The role of general culture bodies and the media in developing scientific thinking in society.
• Education systems and their role in disseminating scientific culture and developing scientific thinking.
• Building human capacities in the field of disseminating scientific and technological culture.
  
  
  

Developing the Arab Program for Disseminating Scientific and Technological Culture

In implementation of one of the recommendations issued by the Tenth Conference of the Ministers Responsible for Higher Education and Scientific Research in the Arab World, held in the Republic of Yemen in December 2005, which stipulated: "Calling upon the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization to complete the procedures for adopting the Arab strategy for disseminating scientific and technological culture, to expedite the completion of the executive plan for this strategy, and to begin applying it according to specific and approved mechanisms". In confirmation of this recommendation by the Riyadh Declaration issued by the Arab Summit held in March 2007, in which the leaders of the Arab states affirmed the necessity of giving top priority to disseminating scientific culture and developing education and its curricula in the Arab world in a manner that deepens the shared Arab belonging and responds to the needs of development, modernization and comprehensive development, ALECSO held a number of meetings since 2007 regarding the success of this program, as a contribution from it to achieving the dissemination of scientific and technical awareness. Following that, ALECSO developed the Arab Program for Scientific and Technological Culture since 2007 to continue its endeavor to enrich scientific culture in the Arab world on the widest scale in order to eradicate scientific illiteracy and disseminate simplified sciences in order to implement the slogan "Science for All".

Issuing series of publications concerned with disseminating scientific and technological culture

Since written media play an important role in disseminating scientific and technological culture, ALECSO issued series of publications in the form of booklets, guides and CDs that addressed various scientific fields, formulated in sound and accessible Arabic, authored and translated by Arab experts.

Science fiction literature

In affirmation by ALECSO of the necessity of giving scientific culture a leading position in its efforts, and encouraging Arab writers, novelists and research scholars to take an interest in the genre of science fiction literature in the Arab world, by motivating them to produce in it through authoring and translation, ALECSO carried out:

Scientific media

Within the framework of ALECSO's continuous efforts to activate its Arab program for disseminating scientific and technological culture in the Arab world, given the vital role that the media plays in disseminating knowledge and sciences, and it serves as a solid bridge to enhance communication between Arab scientific journalists, since scientific media needs an appropriate mechanism to prepare human resources in the field of scientific editing and its specialized technologies and to develop them professionally, scientifically and technologically through courses and qualifying programs, which positively reflects on their performance and supports the scientific movement nationally and Arab-wide. ALECSO, in cooperation with the ministries of information, journalists' associations and the Arab States Broadcasting Union, designed:

The Arab Journal of Science

Forty issues of it were published in the period (1982-2002), which persevered in being issued under the title "The Arab Journal of Science and Information", as of 2003, after it was decided to expand its contents to include the information technology sector, and in particular Arab and international electronic publishing in its scientific and technological fields.

The ALECSO Scientific Journal for Youth

Familiarity with the sciences and following the discoveries of scientists and their developments lays the foundation for generations upon whom reliance is placed in a stage that awaits major challenges in light of the challenges the Arab world is going through. Disseminating scientific culture also contributes to entrenching science in the minds of these generations, broadens their horizons, contributes to shaping their personality, and to crystallizing their vision of themselves and of the world around them.

Aware of the importance of orienting towards scientific writing in Arabic, to enable the Arab reader to follow scientific developments in their mother tongue, and to enhance and consolidate their belief in the ability of the Arabic language to explain sciences and scientific applications, however complex they may be, which facilitates simplifying scientific material, and makes its assimilation and the spread of its concepts easier, the

has – since 1997 – issued the

,

at youth aged (14-22) years, concerned with disseminating the culture of sciences and scientific research among Arab youth by publishing scientific topics in a simplified manner, in an easy language suitable for their young ages. Its topics are selected by commissioning Arab professors and experts who are specialized and recognized for their scientific rigor and enjoy a prestigious standing, to write or translate scientific articles from the latest international scientific publications into Arabic.

The journal includes the following:

and other issues related to sciences that have become part of our daily life. As an initiative from ALECSO to support Arab digital content in the field of sciences, and to disseminate scientific culture in Arabic on the Internet, and to keep pace with the times and reach the largest possible segment of readers, the Organization moved towards publishing the journal electronically. In realization of ALECSO's vision, which calls for introducing its message and objectives through the books, studies and journals it issues, it began issuing the journal under its new name "The ALECSO Scientific Journal for Youth" starting from issue (28/December 2017). It will also begin producing it in audio form to enable youth who have lost the blessing of sight to keep pace with it and benefit from it. Creating a website concerned with building advanced applied models, and distinguished experiences for disseminating scientific culture among children

With the emergence of many pioneering Arab efforts (programs, applied models, advanced scientific educational content...) concerned with developing and disseminating scientific and technological culture, and with the increasing number of Arab experts, institutions, organizations and bodies (governmental and non-governmental) working in this field, the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization intends to create a website concerned with the distinguished Arab applied models and experiences in this field, as a contribution from it to gathering these models and applications in a website to unify the Arab efforts made in the field, save time and the efforts of its beneficiaries and researchers, and increase scientific and technical awareness among the general public, especially children and youth. The Organization will contribute to enriching this website by designing and developing new programs and applied models concerned with enhancing the Arab child's capacities to grasp the concepts of modern science and technologies, and other issues related to sciences, and helping them apply scientific knowledge in confronting difficulties and finding solutions to them. In this framework, the Organization held two meetings of experts specialized in the field on 13 March 2018, and on 17 July 2018 at the Organization's headquarters, which resulted in developing detailed technical specifications for designing a high-quality website supported by some models and applications, achieving tangible and distinguished results for disseminating scientific culture among children, characterized by its adherence to scientific, educational and cultural standards, and having a prominent role in enhancing the positives at the level of the quality of education in Arab schools, universities and research centers, guiding children to some applied models and good practices, and benefiting from successful international experiences in the field, to develop their scientific and logical thinking.