CRDF Global’s Linda Staheli, senior staff associate for congressional and government relations, and Khaled Touqan, the director of CRDF Global’s Jordan Office, participated in the World Science Forum in Budapest, Hungary on Nov. 16-19, 2011. The main theme of this year's forum was "The Changing Landscape of Science."

This year's conference addressed the geographical, thematic and social aspects of this subject focusing on the burning issues of science and global society. Among other relevant topics, invited speakers outlined their views on the future of human population, new challenges caused by, and solutions to remedy global diseases, novel ways of food production and food security, new material technologies and the recent advancements in brain research and cognitive sciences.

Touqan also spoke at a Nov. 18 parallel session organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). In this session -- entitled "What Does The Governance of Science Within Parliaments Mean?" -- he participated in a panel about the Arab Spring.

The Forum was attended by more than 500 people from around the globe. The next Forum will take place in Brazil in 2013.