Programme / Gender Summit Platform for the Arab World

The aim of this event is to explore establishing a Gender Summit platform for the Arab World, which would join similar platforms already active in Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, Africa, and Latin America.  The Gender Summit was created in 2011 with the aim to enable dialogue and consensus between scientists, gender scholars, policy makers and stakeholders in science endeavours on the improvements needed where scientific evidence shows unequal quality of research outcomes for women and men, or results that open up new research questions and applications for science knowledge with benefits for society.  This event brings together Arab and international scientists and policy makers to start the dialogue and map out topics that are particularly relevant in the Arab context, as well as those of shared interest.

Introduction

HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, President of the Royal Scientific Society

Rana Dajani  Associate Professor of Molecular Cell Biologyy at Hashemite University)

Panel 1 - Policy Leaders

Implementing policy for gender equality in science

In this panel session speakers will discuss, compare, and contrast how science and policy, at top-decision making level, can work together to advance gender equality in research participation, and in research outcomes for women and men. Influential science policy makers in the Arab region and beyond will reflect on their own experience of advancing women’s place and success in science; the political and cultural barriers they managed to overcome; the improvements that resulted; and the actions that are still needed.

Panel 2 - Leading Scientists

Role of women and men in advancing culture of change and innovation

In this panel session Arab and international research leaders will discuss the need and benefits of creating research and innovation cultures that equally welcome, value, and reward the creativity and excellence of women and men scientists in knowledge creation, application, and communication.  They will share their own experiences of making change happen, with focus on the Arab context.

Panel 3 - Scientists & Activists

Scientists as decisions makers: the difference they can make

This panel session will explore the relationships between gender equality in science and in society, and the role that scientists and policy makers can play, as decision makers and opinion formers, in identifying barriers, where improvements are needed, and promoting actions to make change happen. The focus is  Arab scientists, policy makers and gender scholars in the region and in the diaspora, and on their connections with scientific communities elsewhere.