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1st Arab Leadership Dialogue on Science Advice to Governments

24
November
2016
Beirut, Lebanon

The UN- ESCWA Technology Center (ETC) and the Royal Scientific Society of Jordan (RSS) in partnership with the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA), and CRDF Global will organize the 1st Arab Leadership Dialogue on Science Advice to Governments that will take place in Jordan (Dead Sea) on December 13-14, under the patronage of HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, President of the Royal Scientific Society and President of the Board of Governors of the UN-ETC.
 
The leadership dialogue will bring together around 30 key regional STI stakeholders from the Arab region for a discussion on models and mechanisms of science advice and common practices at the interface between science and policy. The objectives of the meeting include:

  • To extend the dialogue on Science, Technology and Innovation in the Arab region;
  • To enlarge and strengthen the capacity and network of those interested in the improvement of science advice for policy;
  • To assist institutional development and regional cooperation;
  • To seek regional input into the draft set of Guidelines and Principles of Science Advice to Governments.

 
The participants will discuss topics such as the current landscape for science advice in the Arab region, the role of science advice in addressing the Sustainable Development Goals, and the structures of science advice. Factual case studies will be used to highlight how science advice to governments can assist regional, cross-border and domestic challenges such as resource and environmental management, natural disaster and pandemic crisis management, issues associated with demographic change, migration and refugees and issues of technology assessment and selection.
 
A number of desired outcomes were also identified such as the consideration of a pan-Arab science advice network that would serve as a platform to communicate and share best practices as well as to address challenges and solutions, applicable science advice guidelines and principles to the Arab STI landscape and compilation of known efforts and players in science advice or related forms and areas.
 
The dialogue will be enriched with a broad range of invited renowned international & regional experts in the field of science advice. Those include: Sir Peter Gluckman, Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Dr Vaughan Turekian, Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State U.S. Department of State, Professor Abdul Hamid Zakri, Science Adviser to the Prime Minister of Malaysia and Dr Mohammad Hassan, Co-Chair of IAP, the Global Network of Science Academies.