Forum to focus on role of think tanks in supporting national efforts to counter coronavirus pandemic

Manama, Nov. 4 (BNA): Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies ‘Derasat’ will organize its third annual forum as a video-conference, “The Role of Think Tanks in Supporting National Efforts: Countering the Coronavirus Pandemic and Implications”, on November 24-26. The ‘Derasat’ Forum aims to discuss regional and international think-tank efforts in researching and analyzing the factors and implications of the Novel Coronavirus pandemic in its multiple levels and aspects that affect individuals, organizations and countries. It will also review requirements to cope with it as a global crisis, with a drastic impact on human activities and development. The forum also provides a platform to present and discuss best practices and lessons learned. The three-day expert forum revolves around the pandemic’s impact on think tanks and research institutions; their cooperation with national organizations to counter this impact; and their societal contribution to weather its implications. Experts will also discuss various research methodologies and their effects on society, resources required to face the implications of this crisis, effort coordination mechanisms between think-tanks and national organizations; as well as demonstrating a national case study, “The Outcomes of Cooperation between ‘Derasat’ and the UNDP”. “Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies ‘Derasat’ saw the benefits in this year’s forum to accommodate discussion and analysis of think-tank research efforts during the pandemic, and their integration in recovery to restore development and progress”, ‘Derasat’ Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said. "Such impacts are ongoing and all-affecting, which calls for drawing integrated strategies to address the short- and long-term implications.” He stressed how research centers in each country rushed to study the pandemic’s development and impacts, in order to advise national efforts on the best resource utilization to counter these impacts. These centers, like ‘Derasat’, have published analytical reports and scientific articles and organized online discussions within a national system. “At this stage, scientifically-viable strategies are crucial in their content and execution for well-planned, future countermeasures to the pandemic’s implications,” he said. Dr. Hamad Ebrahim Abdullah, Executive Director of ‘Derasat’ stressed the importance of dialog in writing the details of the post-pandemic strategy, where views of all research centers and national organizations are presented based on their experiences in dealing with the pandemic. The strategy should be inspired by lessons currently learned, and factoring in resources, roles and challenges for a complete future perspective, he added.