Transcript Global Governance of Science, Comments from TWAS

Global Governance of Science:
Comments on behalf of TWAS, the
academy of sciences for the
developing world
Peter McGrath
TWAS acting programme officer, Trieste, Italy
[email protected]
Presentation of the report: ‘Global Governance of Science’
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Riga, Latvia
16 March 2009
Establishment of TWAS
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Founded 1983 in
Trieste, Italy, by Abdus
Salam and 40 other
eminent scientists
from the South (incl.
10 Nobel Laureates).
Inaugurated 1985 by
the Secretary General
of the United Nations,
Javier Perez de
Cuellar.
TWAS headquarters
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Located at the Abdus Salam
International Centre for
Theoretical Physics (ICTP),
Trieste, Italy.
Administered by the United
Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO).
TWAS membership
 909 Members in some 90 countries
 85% “Fellows” in 73 countries in the South.
 15% “Associate Fellows” in 17 countries in
the North.
 16 Nobel Laureates.
“Voice of science for the South”
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TWAS objectives
 Recognize, support and promote excellence in scientific
research in the South.
 Respond to the needs of scientists working under
unfavourable conditions.
 Support South-South scientific exchange and collaboration.
 Promote South-North cooperation between individuals and
centres of excellence.
 Promote dissemination of scientific information and sharing
of innovative experiences.
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North-South Disparities
Shares of publications North vs. South
Average 2005-2006
South
22%
North
78%
Source: SCI, January 2007
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South-South Disparities
7%
6.6%
Top 12 of the South:
World publication shares
6%
Percent of World
5%
Average 2005-2006
4%
3%
2.4%
2.2%
2%
1.5%
1.4%
1.2%
1%
0.6%
0.5%
0.5%
0.4%
0.4%
0.3%
Source: SCI, January 2007
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Global Disparities
African countries
contributing
≥ 0.02% of world
share of ISI-listed
S&E papers
Shares of Publications
North
South
77 S&T most
lagging developing
countries
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South
22%
77 S&Tlagging
countries
3%
North
78%
Rest of
South
97%
Global Governance of Science
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Global Governance of Science
First impressions:
• A well-written and well-argued document;
• Wide-ranging and thought provoking;
• Many good examples are presented;
• Ambitious.
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Global Governance of Science
First impressions:
• A well-written and well-argued document;
• Wide-ranging and thought provoking;
• Many good examples are presented;
• Ambitious.
But:
• Any attempt at global governance of science
is starting from weak beginnings;
• Difficult to see way forward (much research
needed) or even the way to unite the
different initiatives cited.
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Global Governance of Science
TWAS, “the voice of science
for the South” has been a
party to UNESCO’s
Bioethics curriculum, which
has been tested at several
centres in the developing
world and has recently been
published.
Some specific points:
Ethics across borders (page 30)
Non-European cultures and informed consent (page 31)
• “Different perspectives on medicine, personhood and
ethics are potential sources of misunderstanding” … an
area tackled by the UNESCO curriculum.
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Global Governance of Science
Some specific points:
Science divides (page 33)
“… one third of the world population is neither
able to produce its own technological
innovations nor have access to the
technologies developed by others. Yet
science and technology themselves provide
no easy answers. Only at a global level can
governance structures begin to change
systems of research and innovation so that
they address global goals, with one potential
resting on collaborative research.”
• Condescending?
• Ability to govern globally when S&T
infrastructure in many developing countries
is so weak?
• Collaborative research - a must!
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Global Governance of Science
A way forward:
Conclusions: From Europe to the world
(pages 37-39)
“… among the important institutions on which
one might build are international
professional societies such as ICSU, AAAS
and UNESCO ...”
• Include TWAS - our ‘constituency’
• InterAcademy Panel on International Issues
(IAP): www.interacademies.net
• InterAcademy Medical Panel (IAMP):
www.iamp-online.org
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InterAcademy Panel (IAP)
Launched in 1993, IAP is a global network of more than 100
science academies in 90 countries.
Africa
Asia
America
Europe
Total
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34
16
40
107
Countries with merit-based science academies
InterAcademy Panel (IAP)
IAP promotes:
• Cooperation between member academies on
science-related issues of global concern;
• The role of academies as independent, credible
advisors to governments on policies and critical
decisions based on S&T.
In particular, IAP:
• Assists academies in developing countries
to build their capacities;
• Serves as a forum for discussions on the
complex relationship between science, society
and media.
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InterAcademy Panel (IAP)
•
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Issues statements on topics of global concern
(e.g., human cloning, biosecurity, evolution).
InterAcademy Panel (IAP)
Joint Statements by G8+5
Academies
 June 2005 (Gleneagles)
 Global response to climate change
 June
2006 (St. Petersburg)
 Avian influenza and infectious
diseases
 Energy Sustainability and security
 May
2007 (Heiligendamm)
 Promotion and protection of
innovation
 Growth and responsibility:
sustainability, energy efficiency and
climate protection
 June
2008 (Hokkaido Toyako)
 Global Health
 Climate Change Adaptation and the
Transition to a Low Carbon Society
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TWAS and IAP
TWAS and its affiliated organizations – the InterAcademy
Panel (IAP) and the InterAcademy Medical Panel (IAMP) –
have a wealth of expertise in dealing with scientific issues in
the developing world.
These organizations stand ready to assist in the development
of an agenda for the Global Governance of Science to
ensure that the concerns of the developing world – and the
two-thirds of humanity that it represents – are heard in the
debate.
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Thank you for your attention
Peter McGrath
TWAS acting programme officer
[email protected]
www.twas.org