DOHA, Qatar, June 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

From Egypt to Syria, the Arab Spring has ushered in a new era of enquiry, freedom of expression and debate in the Middle East.  While these are the foundations of any open society, they are also the essence of scientific method.  In the spirit of harnessing science and its values to advance openness and democracy in the Arab world, Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) will be at the World Conference of Science Journalists (WCSJ) in Doha, Qatar, June 27-29, 2011.  IDRC participation will showcase the ways in which Arab scientists are strengthening their societies' chances for peace, order, and good government.  

IDRC partners will be on the ground at the WCSJ to discuss their work ranging from how HarrassMap is restoring Egypt's tradition of public safety for women; the politics of water and sanitation in Lebanon and Jordan's slums; and the impact that rising sea levels in the Nile Delta will have on the lives of ordinary Egyptians.

Highlights of IDRC's participation at the WCSJ:

• From the Field to the Front Page
  

Three IDRC-funded researchers pitch their stories to seasoned journalists from the UK's SciDev.Net, Qatar's Al Jazeera and Egypt's AlAhram Hebdo. Their work is ground breaking, but do they know how to turn science into headlines?

• From Tahrir to Taamir: Building a Networked Society for Democratic Governance
  

This timely lunch session explores the pivotal role that the Internet, mobile phones and social media can play in popular uprisings across the Arab world.

• Meet IDRC-Funded Researchers and Staff -and Celebrate Canada Day!
  

Stop by the IDRC booth and meet researchers from Arab countries and IDRC staff. Meet Rebecca Chiao, one of the creators of Egypt's HarrassMap; Mohamed Abdrabo, Alexandria's Institute of Graduate Studies and Research, an expert on rising sea level in the Nile Delta; water and sanitation expert Mutasem ElFadel from American University of Beirut; IDRC's Guy Jobbins, climate change adaptation expert; and IDRC's Adel El Zaïm, an expert in ICTs and knowledge society. Ask us about Canada Day and get a treat!

Journalists and the public can join in the conversation through Twitter (#IDRC and #WCSJ2011) and Facebook.

For more information, visit http://www.idrc.ca.

About IDRC

To achieve self-reliance, poor communities need answers to questions like: How can we grow more and healthier food? Protect our health? Create jobs? IDRC supports research in developing countries to answer these questions. IDRC also encourages sharing this knowledge with policymakers, other researchers, and communities around the world. The result is innovative, lasting local solutions that aim to bring choice and change to those who need it most.

For more information:

Isabelle Bourgeault-Tassé
+1-613)696-2343 (Canada)
ibourgeault-tasse@idrc.ca
@IsabelleBT


Hoda Harb
+2 011 22 68 488 (Egypt)
+974-70024778 (Qatar)
hharb@idrc.org.eg
@harbhoda

SOURCE International Development Research Centre