NNA - The Arab Institute for Women (AiW) at the Lebanese American University (LAU)  has won the Best Research Project of the Year Award: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the Times Higher Education Awards for the Arab World 2024 for its project, Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice.

“Some social science projects use cutting-edge technology and innovative techniques; and some provide the knowledge a society needs at a vital moment in time. This one is the latter. With solid academic research and a collaborative approach to engaging with society, the project is having a real-world impact in an area of vital importance,” the judges said.

The six-year project funded by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Sussex and supported by the Swedish International Cooperation and Development Agency (Sida) identifies opportunities for women’s rights organizations and gender justice advocates to counter backlash, including via annually updated policy maps on women’s political participation, social rights and violence against women.

The project also aims to adopt a new approach to the theme of backlash and build capacity through strategic partnerships with women's rights organizations activists, academics and policymakers at the regional and global levels to achieve gender equality.

“This award comes at a pivotal moment as LAU celebrates 100 years of Education, Empowerment, and Innovation, and AiW half a century of leading the charge to mainstream gender issues within the institution and bridging the gap between academia and activism to advance gender justice,” said AiW Executive Director Myriam Sfeir.

 “It fills me with immense pride to belong to this institution, which has always been a strong supporter of AiW and continues to be,” she added. “AiW is a small but mighty institute, and we promise to always walk the walk.”

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