THE high volume of research in Bahrain helped the country hone its policies, especially those aimed at tackling the pandemic, said a top government official.
The studies at the Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat) helped the government take crucial decisions on the coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccinations and booster shots, said centre chairman Dr Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.
Sharing this data with other countries Bahrain contributed to enhancing the quality of policymaking across the globe, he added.
Dr Shaikh Abdulla was speaking at the opening of the Global Think Tank Summit 2021 at the Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea and Spa yesterday.
The first-of-its-kind summit in Bahrain is a joint venture of Think Tank and Civil Societies Programme (TTCSP) of The Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania and Derasat.
“Throughout 2021, the high volume of data being gathered and analysed daily by our scientists meant that our policies were constantly being fine-tuned,” said Dr Shaikh Abdulla.
“Initially, this meant being one of the first countries in the world to roll out booster shots in large volumes.
“Subsequently, this meant mandating booster shots for certain groups as a public health measure.
“The multitude of vaccines available free of charge to all residents has provided scientists with invaluable information on the vaccines’ relative efficacy under various conditions, and sharing that data with our peers in other countries – both directly and via scientific papers – has helped elevate the quality of policymaking across the globe.”
He highlighted that Bahrain’s biomedical research community in partnership with the UN Development Programme produced dozens of papers and reports on diverse areas including financial transactions, environment, women, remote work, and many other fields amidst the pandemic.
He also pointed out the research papers published by the National Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus (Covid-19).
The GDN reported in September that Bahrain published 23 crucial studies on Covid-19 in 12 months.
“It was a vivid illustration of how research entities can play a constructive role in policymaking, and in a manner that contributes to the well-being of everyone living within our shores.
“Bahrain was an early leader globally in its vaccination roll-out because it had participated in clinical trials and so had access to local data that it could use to be more proactive in its pandemic response.
“In fact, several of our most senior policymakers, including ministers, were part of those clinical trials, demonstrating their faith in science.”
With the emergence of Omicron, global collaboration has emerged crucial, he noted. The latest variant of Covid-19 spreading now in southern Africa and detected in more than 30 other countries, has sparked fears that it could significantly undermine the effectiveness of anti-Covid-19 vaccines.
“While it remains too early for us to precisely assess the threat posed by the Omicron, a sequence of precautionary measures was swiftly enacted by governments across the world as they sought to protect their peoples from a new pandemic wave.
“It is difficult to envisage science affecting policy in a starker and dramatic form than in this episode.
“The days of depending on gut instinct for statecraft have been long gone, and what we are left with is a dense ecosystem that ties policymakers to the research community.
“As the unfolding experience with the Omicron variant confirms, our desire to engage others is not an empty platitude – it is vital to confronting common threats, and it facilitates much faster capacity building than when our research entities remain in their own silos.”
He urged think tanks globally to learn from one another, and to build bridges, despite distances separating them from partners.
“Five years from now, nothing would give me more pride than to hear about successful projects built on the back of partnerships forged in Bahrain, during this summit.”
At the beginning of his address, Dr Shaikh Abdulla offered condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of former TTCSP Director and International Studies Senior Lecturer late James McGann who died last week.
Addressing the audience in the place of late Mr McGann was TTCSP assistant director Ibrahim Bakri.
The two-day summit ends today and is being attended by around 40 experts representing international think tanks from across five continents.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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