The Union sponsored the National Capacity-building workshop, organized by two members of the Union’s Executive Committee, Professor Ype Poortinga, Tilburg University, and Professor Elizabeth Nair, University of Singapore. Participants from 12 countries attended this workshop, including delegates from national psychology organizations in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine Authority, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Partial funding of the participants’ travel expenses and the organization of this workshop was provided by the American Psychological Foundation, the German Federation of Psychological Associations and by a private American donor.
Participants of the National Capacity Building Workshop acted immediately to form a Regional Council of Arab Psychological Associations. This new organization will build on the foundation of MENA as well as continue the momentum it generated by holding a second conference for this region in Jordan in 2005.
(Excerpt from the 2003 Annual Report – see http://www.am.org/iupsys/archive/annual-reports/2003-annual-report.pdf