Bio:

Ms. Shirin Husseini is currently a Content Development Consultant at Al Nayzak Organization for Supportive Education and Scientific Innovation, Palestine and the MENA regional manager at Aflatoun International, The Netherlands. Shirin has received her bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Birzeit University in Palestine, and holds two master’s degrees; one in Development Administration and Planning from University College London (UCL) and the other in Museum Studies from the University of Amsterdam (UvA). She is interested in children and youth empowerment through education, science and social innovation, and she believes in the significant role of informal educational institutions and museums in promoting resilience and sustainable development - especially in conflict zones.

In her previous position, Shirin was the Head of Programmes and Operations and Acting Executive Director at Al Nayzak Organization in Palestine. She was fully responsible for the organisation’s programmes which aim to support scientific innovation in Palestine through incubating thousands of talented students in science and technology and providing them with academic, professional and financial support in order to improve their capacities and develop their entrepreneurial projects.

Abstract:

The Role of Science Education and Communication in Promoting a 360-approach to Resilience and Sustainable Development

Any discussion of development and sustainability in Palestine must start with the fact that the largest and most visible constraint on Palestinian development remains the ongoing occupation. On the other hand, it is a cultural hub for the entire Arab region and we should strive for its openness and dynamism at the international level despite all obstacles.

Jerusalem can be prisoner of its heavy historical significance for so many people, making it a city more geared towards the past than the future. Most museums, cultural and educational spaces in Jerusalem focus more on the past, on our rich history, heritage, and heroes. While the development of these cultural places is essential, we must also embed Jerusalem in the present and future.

This reality of Jerusalem and the Palestinian context requires creativity and the adoption of new models that promote our resilience as a society. It entails putting in place the right infrastructure that provides quality education and decent jobs, and promotes inclusive economic development. To achieve that, the fundamental requirements of any infrastructure or policy are: strong scientific knowledge, evidence-based decision-making, innovation, and adaptability.

The Innovation Park that Al-Nayzak is being built at the heart of Jerusalem, overlooking the old city, representing an unprecedented opportunity to achieve the sustainable development goals and local mandates in an integrated manner. The 5500m² complex has been conceived as an inclusive learning environment that stimulates research, exploration, and innovation, and forms the constituents of a free and productive learner who belongs to their homeland, active in their society, and aware of global issues. There has not been a single new infrastructure of that kind in East Jerusalem, with new licensing, new model and new building all together, since the occupation of east Jerusalem in 1967.