8 Arab scientists win UNESCO women’s programme

Egypt’s Scientific Research Minister attends the awards ceremony Eight Arab women scientists have been crowned winners of a programme run by L’Oreal and UNESCO to find talented “women working in the sciences in Arab countries.” The scientists, who each received a grant of $20,000 are from Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia, Sudan, Iraq, and Bahrain.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Director of UNESCO’s Cairo office, Dr Bechir Lamine, said: “In this third version of the pan-Arab celebration of women in science, we cannot but applaud the efforts of women around the Arab World for their dedication to science and strive to advance new solutions in several domains.”
“The programme is successful because it is one of the few established platforms in the region encouraging women scientists to highlight their work and help them advance their research,” he said.
Since the programme began in 1998, over 1,300 women in over 100 countries have been recognised for their groundbreaking achievements and innovative research, says UNESCO.
Winners of the prestigious prize include Dr Alia Shatanawi from Jordan, for her work on vessel dysfunctions among diabetic patients as well as Dr Heba Salama from Egypt for her study on introducing new winter forage grass species to Egypt’s agricultural system and to investigate their yield performance and nutrition value.
Egypt’s Scientific Research Minister, Dr Nadia Zakhary, also attended the ceremony.
She said: “What the Arab fellows here have accomplished through their groundbreaking projects is a real source of motivation to their peers and the female population in the whole Arab region.”
“This programme is a lever for distinguished women scientists who have shown a true dedication to science and advancement of knowledge in this important part of the world,” she added.
Meanwhile, Sandeep Rai, General Manager of L’Oreal Egypt, was keen to point out that the company has always hailed scientific advancement.
“L’Oreal has always been at the forefront of scientific advancement in the world. Our success story with the Pan Arab FWIS programme is based on the substantial value this fellowship initiative brings to regional female scientists and their countries,” he said.