Conference Background

OWSD was established in 1989 to promote women's participation in Science and Technology in developing countries and to recognize their contributions and achievements. The Organization has over 4,500 members and a number of national chapters that implement the organizational programme. Members of the Executive Board (EB) of OWSD are elected during the General Assembly (GA) every five to six years and this is held in conjunction with an international conference to which all members are invited. Four GAs have been held since OWSD’s establishment in 1987:

• The First General Assembly was held in Cairo, Egypt from 10-13 January 1993, sponsored by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS).
• The Second was held in Cape Town, South Africa, 8-11 February 1999, hosted by the Foundation for Research Development and the Department of Arts, Culture and Science & Technology of South Africa.
• The Third General Assembly in Bangalore, India, 21-25 November 2005, was hosted by the Government of India's Department of Science and Technology in collaboration with the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Research and the TWAS Regional Office, Bangalore.
• The Fourth was held in Beijing, China from 27-30 June 2010, hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Kuwait has a long history of supporting OWSD, from sponsoring that first GA in 1993, to organizing the “International Conference on Women in Science and Technology in the Arab Countries” from 21st-23rd April 2013 at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR). The conference was sponsored by KISR, as well as the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS), and the NACE- International, Kuwait Section. Over 120 abstracts were accepted and presented at the conference during the oral and poster sessions. Scientists from the Arab world, Asia and Africa participated in the conference to share experiences, establish networks and plan for future interactions. Invited speakers representing women in the Arab countries highlighted topics related to science and technology, health and the environment as well as gender issues and leadership. The participants also confirmed that the participation of women in international conferences, seminars and meetings in the Arab world and elsewhere should be supported to increase their interaction and to improve their skills.