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{{Short description|International organisation supporting women in science}}
{{Primary sources|date=December 2020}}
{{Redirect|TWOWS|the 2013 film|The Wolf of Wall Street (disambiguation){{!}}The Wolf of Wall Street}}
[[File:Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD).png|thumb|Logo]]
The '''Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World''' ('''OWSD''') is an [[International organization|international organisation]] that provides research training, career development and networking opportunities for women scientists throughout the [[Developing country|developing world]] at different stages in their career. It was founded in 1987 and was officially launched in 1993. The organisation was formerly known as the '''Third World Organization for Women in Science''' (TWOWS). It is a program unit of [[UNESCO]] and based at the offices of [[The World Academy of Sciences]] in Trieste, Italy.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://owsd.net/about-owsd/what-owsd|title=What is OWSD? {{!}} OWSD|website=owsd.net|access-date=2019-12-08}}</ref>
The organisation aims to unite eminent
Scientific research and advancement is important to generate knowledge and products aimed at solving problems faced by society. The generation of such knowledge is especially important in the developing countries which face numerable problems like poverty, food scarcity, disease, climate change, and many more. Scientific innovation is not only important to find solutions to these problems but can also contribute to local economies. The inclusion of women in this innovation process provides a unique perspective on the local problems. In many developing countries, women have daily needs and routines oriented to their roles as main care-givers to the elderly and children. Women make up the majority of agricultural workers too, growing and harvesting food for their families, as well as collecting fresh water for drinking. If women are included as both participants in scientific research and as the beneficiaries of scientific research, the impact on children, on the elderly and on local communities will be direct and highly effective.<ref name=":1" />
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e. Promote the participation of women scientists and technologists in the sustainable and economic development of their country; and
f. Increase understanding of the role of science and technology in supporting women's development activities.<ref name=":0">[https://owsd.net/sites/default/files/OWSD%20Constitution_August%202018.pdf OWSD Constitution] (August, 2018)
== History ==
The idea for OWSD was first raised at a conference on The Role of Women in the Development of Science and Technology in the [[Third World]] in 1988, organized by the [[The World Academy of Sciences|World Academy of Sciences]], where more than 200 leading women scientists from 63 developing countries participated. A study group consisting of top women scientists and experts was formed to explore the possibility of creating an organization that would champion the experience, needs and skills of women scientists in the developing world. At a further meeting in [[Trieste]] in 1989, the Third World Organization for Women in Science (TWOWS) was established and a constitution adopted. TWOWS was officially launched four years later in 1993, at the First General Assembly in [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://owsd.net/about-owsd/history|title=History |website=OWSD|language=en|access-date=2018-08-28}}</ref>
=== Name
On29 June
== Funding ==
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In 2017, an agreement was signed with Canada's [[International Development Research Centre]] (IDRC) to fully fund a new OWSD fellowship for Early Career Women Scientists.
== National
OWSD has national chapters in
== Programmes ==
=== PhD fellowships ===
OWSD PhD fellowships are offered to women from selected science and technology-lagging countries in the developing world to undertake PhD research in the natural sciences, including engineering and information technology, at host institutes in another developing country.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://owsd.net/career-development/phd-fellowship|title=PhD Fellowship |website=OWSD|language=en|access-date=2018-08-28}}</ref>
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These scholarships cover all costs related to undertaking research in a host country that are not covered by the host institute, including travel, visa and health costs, tuition and bench fees as well as a monthly stipend for the awardees' board, accommodation and living expenses. The fellowship also includes additional funding for each PhD fellow to travel to international workshops and conferences of relevance.
The fellowship is offered as either a full-time (up to
More than 250 women scientists have graduated from the fellowship programme with PhDs since 1998.
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== Membership ==
OWSD has more than 8,000 members from 137 countries. Over 90% of OWSD members are women living and working in developing countries who have master's or doctorate degrees in scientific subjects.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://owsd.net/career-development/membership|title=Membership|website=OWSD|language=en|access-date=2018-08-28}}</ref>
== Leadership ==
OWSD is governed by an
===List of presidents===
*2016–2020: [[Jennifer Thomson|Jennifer A. Thomson]] (South Africa)
*2010–2015: Fang Xin (China)
*2005–2010: Kaiser Jamil (India)
*1999–2004: [[Lydia Makhubu]] (Swaziland)
*1993–1998: Lydia Makhubu (Swaziland)
Since its inception in 1987 and launch in 1993, OWSD has grown manifolds in both scope and impact. The organisation celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2018 and released its first Annual Report. The report highlighted the membership of over 7,100 scientists from more than 150 countries. It also detailed the work of the organization through its headquarters in Italy and the 20 other national chapters in developing countries across the globe.<ref name=":5">[https://owsd.net/sites/default/files/OWSD%202018%20Annual%20Report%20-%20web%20small_0.pdf OWSD Annual Report (2018)]</ref>
OWSD's flagship programme has been the South-to-South PhD fellowship programme, which aims at supporting the mobility of women scientists. The fellowship provides support to women from scientifically- and technologically-lagging countries (STLCs) to undertake PhD research at a host institution of recognized research excellence in another developing country. In the past ten years, a total of 314 fellowships have been awarded. By 2018, 251 fellows had successfully graduated and a further 193 were enrolled and completing their studies.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" />
In 2018, OWSD launched an Early-Career fellowship program. This fellowship is funded by the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and greatly increases the impact of the organization. It expands the scope of OWSD's programmes by providing fellowships to scientists in the early stages of their career. The first cohort included 19 candidates from 11 different countries.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":4" />
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
* {{Official website|https://owsd.net/}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Women's organisations based in Italy]]
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