The following article was published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science Magazine.

Efforts to solve global challenges-from health and energy to environmental protection and economic development-will require closer international science cooperation and more robust engagement of the public in every nation, research and policy leaders concluded at the World Science Forum.

In a series of talks and presentations, some of the world's most influential science experts described a rapidly shifting global landscape, with Asia emerging as a powerful center of research and many developing nations making strong commitments to human and economic development through building science capacity. In the new era, speakers said, scientists and their organizations must pursue common purpose and common standards to efficiently address regional and global challenges.

"Science diplomacy lies at the heart of our project to build a more just and equitable world," said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova. "Scientific research is becoming more collaborative, with many partnerships transcending organizational and national borders. The center of gravity is shifting. The past dominance of...the European Union, Japan, and the United States is giving way to a multipolar world."

AAAS Chief Executive Officer Alan I. Leshner urged established science powers to do more to support the science and technology aspirations of the developing world. And he emphasized that, to maximize the impact of science, it will be essential to "strengthen...the coherence and compatibility" of research practices and ethical standards across the world "so the various national communities can work together easily and with great confidence."

Leshner announced that AAAS in early 2012 will launch a new quarterly online publication, Science and Diplomacy, to encourage dialogue between the science and foreign policy communities.

The fifth biennial Forum, organized by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS), convened leaders from more than 100 nations from 17 to 19 November under the theme, "The Changing Landscape of Science: Challenges and Opportunities."

Among the speakers at the opening of the 2011 World Science Forum were Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán; AAAS Chief Executive Offi cer Alan I. Leshner; UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova; and HAS President József Pálinkás.

 

Bokova and Leshner were among a distinguished panel to deliver remarks to some 500 world science and policy leaders during the Forum's opening session in the ornate HAS Ceremonial Hall. They joined Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán; HAS President József Pálinkás; Nobel laureate Yuan Tseh Lee, president of the International Council for Science (ICSU); and Dominique Ristori, director-general of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent video remarks, as did Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov aboard the International Space Station.

Forum sessions covered a diverse range of subjects, including emerging fields of science, the role of higher education, and making science conferences more effective. But many of the speakers and virtually every session came to focus on ways to develop more effective international cooperation.

"The scale and scope of these transformations are so robust that a new milestone in the history of science has been reached, and a new era of global science has commenced," said a statement approved at the Forum's closing session. "This new era presents challenges and opportunities bringing political, social and policy implications on a previously unseen scale."

A 2-hour discussion organized by Vaughan Turekian, the AAAS chief international officer and director of the AAAS Center for Science Diplomacy, and Tom Wang, the center's deputy director, explored possible models for increased cooperation.

Tateo Arimoto, director-general of Japan's Research Institute of Science and Technology, cited the space station and ITER, the large-scale fusion energy project, as models for international collaboration. While many national and regional organizations support cooperative efforts, he said, international coordination is lacking.

Leshner, who also serves as executive publisher of Science, suggested that other nations could follow European policies that make a researcher's grant funding transferable between different institutions and across borders. Further, he urged science and policy leaders to seek compatible laws and standards in research publication, research integrity, intellectual property, and the use of animals in experiments.

The Forum's closing statement called international cooperation "essential for decreasing the knowledge divide and regional disparities." And it endorsed "a universal code of conduct addressing the rights, freedoms and responsibilities of scientific researchers" and "universal rules of scientific research."

To support the development of global networks, the Forum itself will be making a significant change, said Pálinkás, who also serves as the Forum's president. While the first five fora have been held in Budapest, the 2013 event will be in Brazil. In years to come, the site will alternate between Budapest and another location.

 

AAAS, TWAS Agree to Science and Diplomacy Effort

AAAS and the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) have agreed to pursue an ambitious slate of joint projects to enhance efforts at the nexus of science and diplomacy. Under an agreement signed 17 November during the World Science Forum, the organizations  will focus their efforts on two areas: building regional cooperation and networks among TWAS members and associated countries, and increasing the capacity of foreign ministries, research ministries, and international policy organizations to build science partnerships. The agreement was signed by Romain Murenzi, the executive director of TWAS, and Alan I. Leshner, the chief executive offi cer of AAAS and the executive publisher of the journal Science. After a brief ceremony, both pledged the joint International Programme on Science and Diplomacy will seek long-term, high-impact initiatives to help build a 21st-century science culture. "Science is central to both development and diplomacy," said Murenzi. "This initiative is designed to bring discussions about science to the forefront of international affairs in ways that will help science to serve an even more prominent role in promoting peaceful relations among nations. The fi rst step is to help build the capacity of the scientifi c and diplomatic communities to communicate more effectively with each other." "This is a very important time for international science," said Leshner. "Many nations are joining the world science enterprise, developing partnerships, and pursuing the benefi ts of scientifi c and technological advancement. We believe that our new collaboration with TWAS will help identify new mechanisms for increasing the role that science can play in addressing some of the great international and global challenges." The agreement further extends AAAS efforts, through its Center for Science Diplomacy, to support this crucial issue with developing countries. It envisions projects in three specifi c areas: training and building capacity for science diplomacy; organizing international and regional meetings on key science diplomacy issues; and developing a science ambassadors program.

 

(Source: Food Science)