Under the patronage of the Minister of Culture Dr. Mohamed Daoud Daoud, the National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS-L) and the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO launched on March 11, 2019, the “National Observatory for the Leadership and Empowerment of Women in Research”, also known as Dynamic Actions for Women in Research and Knowledge.
Funded by UNESCO Participation Programme for 2018-2019, DAWReK’n aims to support Lebanese female researchers in their efforts towards empowerment in the scientific environment, and this in all disciplines of research and innovation (basic sciences and engineering, medical sciences, environmental sciences and agriculture, human and social sciences …). The acronym stands for the Arabic word «دوركُ-نَّ» that can mean both « it’s your role » and « it’s your turn ».
The Director of the CNRS program for PhD scholarships and the Observatory coordinator, Dr. Tamara Zein explained that DAWReK’n action plan is based along five main axes: 1) study conditions of female researchers and diagnose hitches impeding their robust contribution to scientific research output, 2) evaluate and streamline research output of Lebanese women through targeted conferences and seminars, 3) develop capacities of female researchers to stimulate a successful scientific process, 4) allocate funding programs for research projects and provision of grants to conduct research related to women, 5) encourage decision-makers in universities and research centers to adjust their systems to tune in with the empowerment of female researchers in order to alleviate the social and economic reality that negatively influences their performance.
Deputy Secretary General of the Lebanese National Commission, Ms. Ramza Jaber Saad, pointed out that UNESCO attaches great importance to enhancing the status of women and achieving gender equality in the various educational, scientific and cultural fields, which is way such initiative was supported and encouraged in order to better represent women in research.
Judge Dr. Abbas Halabi, Vice-president of the Lebanese National Commission, indicated that the Observatory will form a platform for cooperation between the various governmental, non-governmental, regional and international organizations and Lebanese universities.
Prof. Mouin Hamze, CNRS-L Secretary General and Vice-president of the Lebanese National Commission, said he believes the shortage of women in high political offices and government posts in the country has a trickle-down effect, preventing the passage of legislation that would promote women’s advancement, stressing that this new initiative to support women researchers meets a national need that can no longer be forgotten or ignored.
The Minister of Culture, considered that the Observatory is a pioneering project to enhance the contribution of Lebanese women in the field of science, research and knowledge, as a crossroads with the goals of the United Nations on permanent growth, and in line with the advanced scientific level reached by Lebanese women in all fields.
The launching ceremony also included a round table on the conditions of women researchers in Lebanon, the challenges they face, and the actions that will be developed by the Observatory to empower the Lebanese female researchers, with the participation of the Secretary General of the Lebanese National Commission Dr. Tala Zein, the Vice-Rector for Scientific Research at Saint Joseph University of Beirut Dr. Dolla Sarkis, the Dean of the Faculty of Education at the Lebanese University Prof. Thérèse El Hachem, and the Director of the ESCWA Sustainable Development Policies Division at ESCWA Ms. Roula Majdalani.
