NAMES network participated as Content Partner in the first “Arab Forum for Science Media and Communication”, held online 21–24 February 2021. Through this partnership, the network provided 25 fellowships to the employees of member institutions to attend the forum for free.

On the third day of the Forum, NAMES presented a panel session entitled “Science Centers and Museums during the Pandemic: Challenges and Lessons Learned”. The session featured four distinguished speakers from among the Network’s esteemed members: Ms. Sawsan Dalaq, Director of the Children’s Museum Jordan; Ms. Rana Alnibari, General Manager of The Scientific Center of Kuwait; Mr. Ayman Elsayed, Director of the Planetarium Science Center, Egypt; and Mr. Abdul-Aziz Alhegelan, Executive Director of Mishkat Interactive Center, KSA.

During the session—moderated by Ms. Maissa Azab, NAMES Executive Director—the speakers discussed the challenges that face science engagement institutions in the region, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. They also shared some of the lessons learned from this crisis, and the best practices they followed to deal with the situation. Moreover, Ms. Azab moderated another panel session entitled “Effective Science Communication Institutions within the Arab Region”, which discussed the challenges and opportunities of science communication institutions.

It is worth mentioning that all sessions will be available to all registered participants on the Forum’s website soon. For more information about the forum, please visit the following link: https://arabforumsmc.com/.