Knowledge to Policy Center - AUB

On October 29, 2026, the Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center at the American University of Beirut convened a 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 in Amman, under the theme “𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐲𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬.” The dialogue brought together key stakeholders from different sectors to examine persistent health system challenges and identify opportunities for meaningful, evidence-informed reform. 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐇𝐂 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬. Participants emphasized that commitments must translate into concrete policies and measurable action, supported by robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks and clear accountability mechanisms. A key message emerging from the dialogue was the need to 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝, 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 and accelerating progress towards UHC. The discussions reinforced the importance of turning evidence into action, strengthening accountability, and moving from shared commitments to tangible improvements in healthcare access, quality, and equity. 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐇𝐂 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐈𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬. #UniversalHealthCoverage #HealthSystems #HealthPolicy #EvidenceInformedPolicy #Jordan @feljardali @Lama_boukarroum @mohgovjordan @WHOJordan @jncgovjo @EMPHNET @FHS_AUB @AUB_Lebanon

Advancing Child Protection and Decent Work in Lebanon We are proud to announce our collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, in partnership with the International Rescue Committee (@RESCUEorg), to develop a national definition for light work among children in Lebanon. Today, we had the opportunity to present this important initiative to the National Child Labour Committee, chaired by His Excellency the Minister of Labour, Dr. Mohamed Haidar, marking a significant step toward establishing clearer, evidence-informed guidance on permissible light work while safeguarding children’s health, safety, education, and development. Through this initiative, we aim to support the development of a nationally relevant definition that aligns with international labour standards, responds to Lebanon’s context, and provides practical guidance for policymakers, employers, and labour inspectors. We look forward to working closely with national stakeholders to translate evidence into actionable policies that strengthen child protection and contribute to efforts to prevent child labour in Lebanon. #ChildProtection #ChildLabour #Lebanon #EvidenceInformedPolicy #LabourRights @feljardali @klara_as @FHS_AUB @AUB_Lebanon

#HSR2026 Unpacked: Why Cairo, Why Now, and What to Expect What can you look forward to at the 9th Global Symposium on Health Systems Research (HSR2026)? As HSR2026 comes to the Eastern Mediterranean Region for the first time, join Health Systems Global (HSG) leadership and representatives of the Symposium's co-host institutions for an interactive conversation about what awaits participants in Cairo this December. The webinar will offer a closer look at preparations for HSR2026, including the scientific programme and its key highlights, while exploring why the Symposium matters at this moment for the region and the wider global health systems community. Panelists will also discuss what participants can expect in Cairo, including opportunities for engagement and networking during the Symposium. The session will conclude with a live audience Q&A. Webinar Details Date: Tuesday, 3 November 2026 Time: 2:00–3:00 PM Cairo time Format: Online webinar with live audience Q&A Duration: 60 minutes Register via Zoom: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi… @H_S_Global @AUB_Lebanon @FHS_AUB @MBRSG @AUC @feljardali @Rasha_Fadlallah @TMirzoev @devaki_nambiar @Mohamed03966736 @DrAzad_Immanuel

📣 Applications are now open! Join the Youth Policy Engagement and Communication Capacity-building Program, an 11-month youth fellowship and leadership program that helps you turn evidence into action. Gain practical policy and communication skills, learn from policy experts, build your network, and get hands-on experience in policy engagement. 👥 Open to young people aged 18-24 residing in Lebanon and interested in social policy, research, and civic engagement. 🗓 Program Duration: January-November 2027 ⏳ Application deadline: 30 November 2026 📲 Scan the QR code on the flyer ✉️ Questions? Contact [email protected] The “Social Policies for a Brighter Future” programme is implemented in partnership with UNICEF @UNICEFLebanon and co-funded by the European Union and the Government of the Netherlands. @EUinLebanon @ifi_aub @LebaneseUni @AUB_Lebanon @FHS_AUB

Proud to celebrate our Director, Dr. Fadi El-Jardali @feljardali, named among the world’s most cited researchers! A recognition of his research contributions and commitment to evidence-informed policy. Congratulations from all of us at #K2P!

K2P Center’s Program Manager, Clara Abou Samra (@klara_as), participated as a panelist in a #conference discussion on hospital #foodwaste at the Lebanese American University of Beirut (@lebamericanuni), highlighting the importance of addressing food waste as a public health and health systems priority in #Lebanon. Drawing on her expertise in health systems, policy, and hospital accreditation, Clara Abou Samra emphasized three key priorities: 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞: Reducing avoidable hospital food waste goes beyond environmental concerns, contributing to more efficient resource utilization, equitable allocation of limited resources, and improved patient care. 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Embedding food-waste management into hospital accreditation standards, institutional policies, and continuous quality improvement processes can strengthen accountability and improve hospital performance. 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬: Developing national policies, standardized protocols, and measurable indicators is essential to coordinate food-waste prevention and management across Lebanon’s healthcare institutions. The conference was held under the patronage and in the presence of Dr. Weam K. Abou Hamdan, Director General of the @mophleb - Lebanon. It was organized by the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the LAU School of Arts and Sciences (LAU Nutrition), in collaboration with the Faculty of Public Health at the Lebanese University, and with the endorsement of the Lebanese Order Of Dietitians.

10 October was #WorldMentalHealthDay, a reminder that mental health is health and must be a public health priority. In #Lebanon, the need remains urgent. 110 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 in the first eight months of 2026, and 13.5% 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 considered suicide at least once. Yet 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 5% 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭. These figures highlight the importance of making mental health support more accessible and strengthening the place of mental health in Lebanon’s health system. Addressing these challenges requires sustained policy action. In 2013, the Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center of the American University of Beirut identified mental health as a top policy priority through a priority-setting exercise with the @mophleb - Lebanon. In 2014, K2P published 𝐋𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 and convened the country’s 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡. Within six months, stakeholders established a national MHPSS task force, rolled out WHO mhGAP training in 45 primary health care centers, updated the national essential drug list to include psychiatric medications, and integrated mental health indicators into the MOPH Health Information System. 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲. @AUB_Lebanon @FHS_AUB #MentalHealth #PublicHealth #HealthPolicy #EvidenceToPolicy #KnowledgeTranslation #PrimaryHealthCare #SuicidePrevention

Are we ready for the next #pandemic? On 25 September, world leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly to discuss pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (#PPPR). The meeting highlighted the importance of health-system resilience, sustainable financing and One Health, while equity and access and pathogen sharing remain important challenges. However, the Political Declaration on PPPR was not adopted by consensus and is expected to be considered through a vote at a later stage. The next step matters. For pandemic preparedness to become meaningful, the commitments that follow this process must be translated into evidence, policy, and action. Since 2015, the Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center at the American University of Beirut has contributed to this effort through 27 policy products on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, including rapid response products, rapid evidence syntheses, peer-reviewed studies, and road maps. @UN @WHO @WHOLebanon @mophleb @FHS_AUB @AUB_Lebanon

The Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center of @AUB_Lebanon joined researchers, policymakers, academics, and practitioners at the Advancing Research for a Sustainable Future Conference (#ARSFC2026) at the @BeirutArabUni, bringing together discussions on 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲, 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, and 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭: 1️⃣ #Sustainability 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 Sustainability cannot depend on starting over with every change in leadership, introducing new technologies without building the capacity to use and maintain them, or enacting policies and laws without mechanisms for implementation and enforcement. 2️⃣ #Research 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Research should respond to the actual needs of communities and policymakers, not only the priorities of funders. Universities, governments, and other stakeholders need to work together to ensure this. Moreover, evidence must reach decision-makers in a timely, accessible, and actionable way to translate research into policy and practice and shape a sustainable future. 3️⃣ 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Social integration means enabling people to shape development and participate in it. Research should therefore look beyond measuring access to asking how people are meaningfully integrated into systems and decisions. 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲, 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞. @HFLebanon @CNRSL @AUB_Lebanon @AUB_Research @FHS_AUB

The Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center at the @AUB_Lebanon is proud to announce that SIRAJ has been awarded funding by the @wellcometrust! SIRAJ (Synthesis Infrastructure for Research, Analysis & Joint Action) is one of the five new hubs within the Evidence Synthesis Infrastructure Collaborative (ESIC). Led by Dr. Fadi El-Jardali, founder and director of the Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center at the @AUB_Lebanon, it will build demand-driven, AI-enabled living evidence synthesis infrastructure. The goal is to get the best available evidence to decision-makers in humanitarian settings faster, more inclusively, and in multiple languages. Over the next few years, SIRAJ will: 1- Synthesize the best available evidence on priority humanitarian issues, including mental health, gender-based violence, and economic wellbeing and resilience 2- Make evidence more accessible, inclusive, and relevant for decision-makers in fragile settings 3- Strengthen capacity and promote equitable partnerships across the Global South and beyond This work brings together a global partnership: Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center, AUB – led by @feljardali @RESCUEorg (IRC) – Sheree Kullenberg @UdeA (UNED) – Ivan Florez and Daniel Patiño-Lugo @ACRES_RRS – Ismael Kawooya and Rhona Mijumbi Deve @Bigd_BracU – Munshi Sulaiman @UNICEF – Amber Peterman Together, SIRAJ aims to make sure humanitarian policies and programmes are informed by the best evidence and deliver greater impact for the people and communities most in need. Read the full announcement: evidencesic.org/about-us/new…