São Paulo – Brazil and Egypt are among the countries that are working in tandem to reduce illiteracy rates among youths and adults. They are members of the E9, a group of nine countries which are home to over half the world’s population and over 70% illiterate adults worldwide. Apart from Egypt and Brazil, the bloc comprises China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Under the technical coordination of the United Nations Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization (Unesco), delegates from the member countries meet regularly since 1993, when the group was established, to exchange information and help one another implement programs designed to lower illiteracy rates among youths and adults. The group was created based on 1993 data and works based on an annual plan.

The coordinator for Education at Unesco Brazil, Maria Rebeca Otero Gomes, reports that there are 13.2 million illiterate youths and adults in Brazil, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). Most of the adults are over 19 years old and 50% live in the Northeast. Brazil has a population of 200 million.

In Brazil, the issue is taken care of through the Brasil Alfabetizado (Literate Brazil) program, targeting youths and adults – a decentralized initiative whereby states and municipalities partner up with organizations to teach people in these age brackets to read and write. The program renders accounts to the Ministry of Education, which centralizes and controls the subjects’ data and progress.

Gomes explains that the program needs restructuring, because several municipalities struggle to find partners, for instance. According to the coordinator, the program is being implemented, but very slowly so, and is not widespread, which she deems would be important in a country with 13 million illiterate adults. Over the years, at the E9, Brazil has shared local experiences such as Brasil Alfabetizado.

The E9’s work is also based on an overarching initiative named Education for All. The initiative was launched in 2000, at a Unesco World Education Forum in Dakar (Senegal), and sets targets to be met by 2015. In March next year, a new forum will take place in Korea to adjust the targets, because most haven’t been achieved, says Unesco Brazil’s Education coordinator.

An E9 meeting will be held in November in Pakistan, and suggestions will be given for the forum in Korea. Brazil will also present an overview report of the advances and challenges in education, at a meeting with other Latin American countries in Lima, Peru, next October. According to Gomes, the main challenges for the country remain teaching young people and grown-ups to read and write, improving educational quality and valuing teachers.

*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum

São Paulo – Oil barrel prices have bottomed out to their lowest in two years this week due to heightened supply and weak demand. The industry expects prices to remain around US$ 85 per barrel of the Brent Crude oil type (traded on the London Stock Exchange) for the next few months. If the trend bears out, major oil companies will have to revise their investment and debt plans. Even major global producing and exporting countries will need to cut down their spending.

According to the global news director at New York’s commodities consulting firm Platts, John Kingston, oil prices are bearish because the world economy is in “big trouble” and recovering slowly. Conversely, production and supply are on the way up.

“Demand is sluggish and growth is very slow around the world, which is still depending on the recovery of the United States’ economy,” Kingston told ANBA.

The director of the Brazilian Infrastructure Centre (CBIE), Adriano Pires also believes the world economy is recovering very slowly. He remarks that recent conflicts in Middle East countries like Palestine and Syria, coupled with the Ukrainian crisis, had postponed the price drop. Besides, the United States’ output is strong right now and investment projects rolled out over the past few years are beginning to bear fruit, causing exploration to increase.

Pires notes, however, that the commodity’s price has ups and downs. It peaked in 1973 and 1989, and plummeted in 1986 and throughout the 1990s. In 2008, however, oil sold for as much as US$ 140. By October 15th, 2012, the Brent barrel was selling for US$ 115.07. A year later, it cost US$ 110.86. This Thursday (16th), it closed at US$ 86.12.

Prices may keep falling, but not much further. Pires expects them to remain close to US$ 80. They may even increase slightly in the days leading up to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) meeting scheduled for late November. Countries like Venezuela and Libya want to reign in output so prices will rise, driving up revenues. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, for their part, would rather wait longer before slowing the output down.

The impact will likely not be as strongly felt by the United States. The country is producing oil domestically through unconventional gas extraction, thus reducing its dependence on imports and their influence on the country. Extraction of this type of gas and oil costs more, but Kingston claims some producers can “withstand” prices as low as US$ 70. “It all depends on the extraction technology and the productivity it affords,” he says.

The effects on Brazil

Low oil prices may influence the Brazilian federal government and Petrobras’ decisions in the short, medium and long run. According to Pires, plummeting oil prices relieve pressure on the government to raise fuel prices, which have been kept lower than they should be in order to curb rising inflation.

On the one hand, lower prices will also drive down costs for Petrobras. The downside is they should weigh down on the state-owned company’s revenues. “These prices will cut losses for Petrobras, but they will also jeopardize its investments, because the company is working with a price estimate of US$ 100 until 2018, and then with US$ 95. If this scenario persists, then Petrobras and other oil companies will have to reformulate their investment strategies,” he asserts.

*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum

São Paulo – Oil barrel prices have bottomed out to their lowest in two years this week due to heightened supply and weak demand. The industry expects prices to remain around US$ 85 per barrel of the Brent Crude oil type (traded on the London Stock Exchange) for the next few months. If the trend bears out, major oil companies will have to revise their investment and debt plans. Even major global producing and exporting countries will need to cut down their spending.

According to the global news director at New York’s commodities consulting firm Platts, John Kingston, oil prices are bearish because the world economy is in “big trouble” and recovering slowly. Conversely, production and supply are on the way up.

“Demand is sluggish and growth is very slow around the world, which is still depending on the recovery of the United States’ economy,” Kingston told ANBA.

The director of the Brazilian Infrastructure Centre (CBIE), Adriano Pires also believes the world economy is recovering very slowly. He remarks that recent conflicts in Middle East countries like Palestine and Syria, coupled with the Ukrainian crisis, had postponed the price drop. Besides, the United States’ output is strong right now and investment projects rolled out over the past few years are beginning to bear fruit, causing exploration to increase.

Pires notes, however, that the commodity’s price has ups and downs. It peaked in 1973 and 1989, and plummeted in 1986 and throughout the 1990s. In 2008, however, oil sold for as much as US$ 140. By October 15th, 2012, the Brent barrel was selling for US$ 115.07. A year later, it cost US$ 110.86. This Thursday (16th), it closed at US$ 86.12.

Prices may keep falling, but not much further. Pires expects them to remain close to US$ 80. They may even increase slightly in the days leading up to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) meeting scheduled for late November. Countries like Venezuela and Libya want to reign in output so prices will rise, driving up revenues. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, for their part, would rather wait longer before slowing the output down.

The impact will likely not be as strongly felt by the United States. The country is producing oil domestically through unconventional gas extraction, thus reducing its dependence on imports and their influence on the country. Extraction of this type of gas and oil costs more, but Kingston claims some producers can “withstand” prices as low as US$ 70. “It all depends on the extraction technology and the productivity it affords,” he says.

The effects on Brazil

Low oil prices may influence the Brazilian federal government and Petrobras’ decisions in the short, medium and long run. According to Pires, plummeting oil prices relieve pressure on the government to raise fuel prices, which have been kept lower than they should be in order to curb rising inflation.

On the one hand, lower prices will also drive down costs for Petrobras. The downside is they should weigh down on the state-owned company’s revenues. “These prices will cut losses for Petrobras, but they will also jeopardize its investments, because the company is working with a price estimate of US$ 100 until 2018, and then with US$ 95. If this scenario persists, then Petrobras and other oil companies will have to reformulate their investment strategies,” he asserts.

*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum

São Paulo – Oil barrel prices have bottomed out to their lowest in two years this week due to heightened supply and weak demand. The industry expects prices to remain around US$ 85 per barrel of the Brent Crude oil type (traded on the London Stock Exchange) for the next few months. If the trend bears out, major oil companies will have to revise their investment and debt plans. Even major global producing and exporting countries will need to cut down their spending.

According to the global news director at New York’s commodities consulting firm Platts, John Kingston, oil prices are bearish because the world economy is in “big trouble” and recovering slowly. Conversely, production and supply are on the way up.

“Demand is sluggish and growth is very slow around the world, which is still depending on the recovery of the United States’ economy,” Kingston told ANBA.

The director of the Brazilian Infrastructure Centre (CBIE), Adriano Pires also believes the world economy is recovering very slowly. He remarks that recent conflicts in Middle East countries like Palestine and Syria, coupled with the Ukrainian crisis, had postponed the price drop. Besides, the United States’ output is strong right now and investment projects rolled out over the past few years are beginning to bear fruit, causing exploration to increase.

Pires notes, however, that the commodity’s price has ups and downs. It peaked in 1973 and 1989, and plummeted in 1986 and throughout the 1990s. In 2008, however, oil sold for as much as US$ 140. By October 15th, 2012, the Brent barrel was selling for US$ 115.07. A year later, it cost US$ 110.86. This Thursday (16th), it closed at US$ 86.12.

Prices may keep falling, but not much further. Pires expects them to remain close to US$ 80. They may even increase slightly in the days leading up to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) meeting scheduled for late November. Countries like Venezuela and Libya want to reign in output so prices will rise, driving up revenues. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, for their part, would rather wait longer before slowing the output down.

The impact will likely not be as strongly felt by the United States. The country is producing oil domestically through unconventional gas extraction, thus reducing its dependence on imports and their influence on the country. Extraction of this type of gas and oil costs more, but Kingston claims some producers can “withstand” prices as low as US$ 70. “It all depends on the extraction technology and the productivity it affords,” he says.

The effects on Brazil

Low oil prices may influence the Brazilian federal government and Petrobras’ decisions in the short, medium and long run. According to Pires, plummeting oil prices relieve pressure on the government to raise fuel prices, which have been kept lower than they should be in order to curb rising inflation.

On the one hand, lower prices will also drive down costs for Petrobras. The downside is they should weigh down on the state-owned company’s revenues. “These prices will cut losses for Petrobras, but they will also jeopardize its investments, because the company is working with a price estimate of US$ 100 until 2018, and then with US$ 95. If this scenario persists, then Petrobras and other oil companies will have to reformulate their investment strategies,” he asserts.

*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum

São Paulo – Using the creativity of citizens, promoting their integration and circulation are some of the solutions to the problems of large, medium and small cities. In a lecture delivered last Tuesday evening (14th) at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in São Paulo, the coordinator of the Cultural Economics course at Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), Ana Carla Fonseca Reis, outlined the key elements for cities to grow and solve their problems with popular involvement. Approximately 50 people watched the presentation, including the Arab Chamber president Marcelo Sallum and former director Mário Rizkallah.

Some examples of creative cities presented by the public administrator and economist include London, in the United Kingdom, Barcelona, in Spain, and Ankara, in Turkey. In Brazil, she mentioned Paraty, in Rio de Janeiro, and Guaramiranga, in Ceará. “These are cities that have set out to innovate their reality and popular culture from the inside out, i.e. from within the city to other localities,” she said.

According to Reis, Guaramiranga, in Ceará, is a city that used to live off of coffee farming. As traditional families left the small town and growing competition from state capital Fortaleza as a tour destination, the city became threatened by mounting problems. 

“However, they capitalized on their local culture of Northeastern musical rhythms; they have projects for developing young musicians; they host a jazz festival every year, during Carnival, of all times; and they have watched as their population soared from 5,000 to 15,000. Besides, they work in tandem with other nearby small towns,” she said.

“Cities can be creative regardless of their size, but those that wish to be or are creative often have clear-cut features: they innovate, for instance, by implementing a solid waste reuse system. They also value the connections between people. Whenever the people connect, they exchange ideas and experiences of their emotional ties with their cities or neighbourhoods; thereby, civil society participation increases. The third feature of these cities is that they value local culture and potential,” she asserted.

As case in points, she cited Peru, a country that has gone beyond its well-known tourist destinations such as Machu Picchu to tap into other aspects of its culture, such as cuisine. Ankara, in Turkey, has developed a project for local artisans to sell their items to tourists, and the government takes charge of shipping the product and insuring the purchase. Reis also mentioned object sharing in large cities, such as electric car rental in Lyon and Paris. “The culture of sharing, of having citizens use, but not own objects.”

In Brazil, Reis listed Paraty and Guaramiranga as the best examples of creative cities, but remarked that the concept is still met with challenges in the country. “They [the cities] don’t foster connections between their residents; they are still too divided into ‘ghettos.’ This remains a hurdle,” she claimed.

In terms of Arab cities, Reis cited Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, which has a plan of integrating leisure, culture and work activities by 2030. Abu Dhabi’s population should double by then, and therefore, said Reis, the city is investing in transformation by integrating activities and inhabitants. As an example, she discussed museums designed by award-winning architects that are currently under construction in a designated area within the city.

Reis’ presentation is part of the Arab Chamber Lecture Cycle, held on a regular basis and covering myriad topics. The next guest will be the historian Demétrio Magnoli, who will tackle progress and challenges for Brazil and the Mercosur. The meeting with Magnoli is set to take place on November 18th.

*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum