L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards Recognizes Three Exiled Researchers
PARIS — The L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards program turned 25 this year, and to mark the anniversary, it held an event here Thursday evening.
As a key part of the ceremony at UNESCO headquarters, where five female scientists’ work is historically recognized annually, L’Oréal and UNESCO also made a special tribute to three displaced researchers. This included medals of honor and financial rewards granted to the women scientists who were displaced from their countries, yet showed remarkable courage to continue practicing in their fields.
More from WWD
“Twenty-five years ago, hand-in-hand with UNESCO, L’Oréal decided to take part in the fight for women in science,” said Jean-Paul Agon, president of the Fondation L’Oréal and L’Oréal’s chairman. “Our group has embraced this cause with passion. For us, promoting women’s rights is a value and a driving force.
“Unshakable faith in science is at the origin of our own history,” he continued. “The For Women in Science program combines 25 years of unwavering commitment to fighting the invisible violation and discrimination of women in science, 25 years of fighting persistent stereotypes and unconscious biases.”
Agon said the scientists recognized by the program have become role models, who transmit strength and confidence to young women.
Addressing the laureates, he said: “Each of you shows that excellence knows no gender.
“In the space of one generation, the program has shifted the boundaries and has had an impact on the lives of thousands of researchers, whose discoveries are changing the lives of millions of women and men,” Agon said. “Each of your personal stories is a victory, and it is the community that you now form that gives its power to this program.”
For Women in Science constituted the first time a U.N. organization partnered with the business world. In 1998, the media described it as a strange marriage, Agon recollected.
Speaking to Audrey Azoulay, director general of UNESCO, he paid tribute to the organization’s trust shared with L’Oréal.
“I thank you for being since day one our precious ally in this tough battle in which humanity and science have so much to gain together,” Agon said. “Together we are whistle-blowers. We sound the alarm, and we are taking action.
“We have chosen the path of equality in science, seeking the support and backing of governments and organizations,” he continued.
Agon also paid tribute to those who started the For Women in Science program in the late ’90s, when gender equality was not at the heart of the debate. Béatrice Dautresme, who was present at the event Thursday, began the program with UNESCO in 1998. At that time, she was working at Helena Rubinstein, a L’Oréal-owned brand.
“This is a fierce battle,” said Agon, then speaking to the scientists, he added: “Each and every one of you is the bearer of huge hope. You provide hope and additional chance to roll back the borders of knowledge and take up the greatest challenges of our common future.”
Agon believes the anniversary gives new impetus for the 25 years yet to come.
“It is urgent that science becomes pluralistic,” Agon explained. “The challenge of the next few years is to ensure that women are better represented in sciences that will shape the world of the future.”
The three exiled scientists were Mursal Dawodi, from Afghanistan; Ann Al Sawoor, from Iraq, and Marycelin Baba, from Nigeria. Each had to disrupt their scientific careers at home yet continued their research abroad.
The trio has benefited from either the Programme d’Accueil d’Urgence des Scientifiques en Exil, also known as Pause, or the Institute of International Education’s Scholar Rescue Fund. They were chosen by Azoulay and Agon, who considered evaluations and recommendations made by the two nonprofit organizations about the women’s scientific work and resilience.
Dawodi, whose focus is on artificial intelligence, relocated to Germany after the Afghan political regime changed. Al Sawoor, with a discipline in mathematics, moved to France from Iraq after being a victim of dispossession and violence because of her gender and religion.
Baba, a molecular biologist, was displaced to South Africa and Kenya due to terrorism attacks in her region, but has subsequently returned to her home country.
“I am honored, yet humbled and encouraged,” Baba said upon receiving her award. She shared with the audience the hurdles faced during her life. Very young, Baba knew education was key to allow her to live a life as she wanted, outside of the home.
“In high school, I opted for science, because I know life is science,” she said. After studying microbiology, she then turned to biology and virology, but there was no political support for that work in Nigeria and obtaining needed materials was a problem.
She received a Ph.D. in Senegal in one year, working from 7 a.m. to midnight. A rescue fund took her to South Africa and Kenya, where Baba could practice her profession with ease.
Baba wanted to share thoughts with other women facing hurdles from family, religion, marriage, politics, culture or other societal aspects, as she has.
“There are questions I want to ask such women,” she said. “What is your vision, aspiration and dream in life? If you can answer these questions, and I know you may be facing these hurdles, how do you overcome them?”
Baba shared five important attributes: determination, the spirit of never giving up, the willingness to leave a comfort zone for a while, the tireless quest for a solution and maximizing any opportunity that comes one’s way.
“By being focused, purposeful and [hardworking], once these are done, it doesn’t matter the quantity, the quality, the magnitude of the hurdles. You will cross [them] — like I did,” she said.
The five laureates of the For Women in Science International Awards Ceremony were: Aviv Regev, in the domain of bioinformatics, based in North America; Frances Kirwan, a mathematician, based in Europe; Suzana Nues, a chemist, based in the Africa and Arab States zone; Lidia Morawska, focused on earth and environmental sciences, based in the Asia Pacific region, and Anamaría Font, a physicist, representing Latin America and the Caribbean.
Kiara Nirghin, a young scientist, closed the ceremony with a speech in which she called the L’Oréal-UNESCO program “a beacon of recognition for women around the world” and “monumental.”
“This program has created an invaluable network of innovation, dedication and excellence,” Nirghin said. “The power of women in science is limitless. Our diverse perspectives, compassion and dedication creates a wellspring of creativity that drives innovation. It is these qualities that will propel us forward to uncover solutions that were once deemed unattainable.”
She quoted Alan Kay, a pioneer in computer science, who said: “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”
“This is not just an aspiration — it’s a call to action,” Nirghin said. “May we all be the inventors of our collective future.”
Best of WWD
