World Bank Workshop on Social Service Delivery & Education in MENA - HKS Arab Caucus May 9 - 10 am to 16 pm

[Abdelhamid, Souad]

Dear Members,

Thank you to those who have RSVP'd.   We look forward to seeing you tomorrow-

The event is co-sponsored by the World Bank and the Office of Career Advancemen (OCA)  at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS).

On behalf of the HKS Arab Caucus, we would like to specially thank;

-  Mrs. Hana Brixi, Lead Economist for Human Development and Acting Sector Manager for Education, World Bank

-  Professor Michael Woolcock 

-  Professor Ishac Diwan 

-  Mrs. Judith Coquillette , Senior Associate Director and Mrs.Sheron Russel, coordinator at the office of Career Advancement at HKS

The Workshop will take place on Friday May 9 Taubman 301-at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)- 3rd floor

Kindly find below the Agenda  ;

 10:00 am to 10.50  am- Introduction:  Macro context about education and health sectors in the MENA region 

Speaker: Professor Ishac Diwan ( HKS) 

10.50 to 11.00 am: Break

11  am to 12.00 pm : Overview of the Wold Bank Governance in Social Service Delivery ( including health and education)  in the MENA region

Speaker: Professor Michael Woolcock ( HKS & World Bank)

12 pm  - 13.30 pm:  Lunch- Taubman Rotunda- Taubman-Ground Floor

13.30 pm  to 14.40  pm :    Status of education in select Arab Countries

Speaker: Mrs.Samera Halabi ( World Bank)

14.40 om to 15.00 pm: Break

 15.00 pm to 16.00 pm  :  Case Study:   Evaluation of an educational institution in MENA 

Speaker:  Mrs. Jumana Alaref ( World Bank)

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Professor Ishac Diwan

Professor Ishac Diwan is Lecturer in Public Policy and the director for Africa and the Middle East at the growth lab of the Center for International Development. Diwan received his PhD in economics from the University of California at Berkeley. He taught international finance at NYUs Business School from 1984-87. In 1987, he joined the World Bank in the Research Complex, where he focused on international finance, trade, and macroeconomics. In 1992, with the coming of the Oslo Agreements, Diwan joined the Banks Middle East department, first as the country economist for the West Bank and Gaza and later as a regional economist. He contributed to the Economic Research Forum and the Mediterranean Development Forum. Most recently, Diwan lived in Addis Abeba (2002-07) and Accra (2007-11), as the Banks Country Director for Ethiopia and Sudan first, and then for Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. Diwan led several ambitious initiatives, such as Ethiopias Productive Safety Net, Ethiopias Protection of Basic Services Program, and in West Africa, initiatives to support commercial agriculture, natural resources development, and jobs for the youth. Diwan will be directing the Africa Growth Project from the CID, and the Economic and Political Transformation group at the ERF.

Professor Michael Woodcock

Professor Michael Woolcock is a lecturer in Public Policy, is Lead Social Development Specialist with the World Bank's Development Research Group in Washington, D.C. His current work focuses on interactions between customary and state legal systems, conducted as part of the World Bank's global 'Justice for the Poor' program (which he co-founded), and strategies for assessing complex social interventions. His most recent books are Contesting Development: Participatory Projects and Local Conflict Dynamics in Indonesia (with Patrick Barron and Rachael Diprose; Yale University Press, 2011), and History, Historians and Development Policy: A Necessary Dialogue (edited with C.A. Bayly, Vijayendra Rao and Simon Szreter; Manchester University Press, 2011). An Australian national, he has an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Brown University. He taught previously at Harvard Kennedy School from 2000-2006, and from 2006-2009 was founding Research Director of the Brooks World Poverty Institute at the University of Manchester, where he was Professor of Social Science and Development Policy.

Mrs. Samera Halabi

Mrs.Samira (سامرة) Halabi is an Education Specialist in the Human Development Unit of the MENA Region at the World Bank, where she is currently involved in analytical projects and technical assistance programs in Jordan, Iraq, the UAE, and Kuwait. She has also previously worked on operational activities in Nigeria and Senegal. Prior to joining the Bank in 2012, she worked in a range of education-related fields, from teaching to program management to education research. She holds a PhD in Education Theory and Policy from the Pennsylvania State University, an M.Ed in International Education Policy and Management from Vanderbilt University, and Bachelor’s degrees in Business and Educational Leadership from the American University of Beirut.

Mrs. Jumana Alaref

Mrs.Jumana Alaref is a Junior Professional Associate with the Human Development Unit of the Middle East and North Africa Region at the World Bank. She works on a range of projects in social protection, health, and education. Jumana holds a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Studies and a Bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Qatar. Before joining the Bank, Jumana worked at the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) in Bethesda, Maryland, supporting impact evaluation projects worldwide.

Best Regards, 

HKS Arab Caucus