Scientists vow to contribute to the success of SDGs

More than 900 scientists and science leaders from 100 countries gathered at the World Science Forum (WSF) 2015 held recently in Budapest, Hungary. The forum was organised with the support of the World Science Forum (WSF), UNESCO, ICSU, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and all the invited fellow scientists.
The World Science Forum is a biennial event that assembles scientists and decision-makers from the worlds of politics and industry, representatives of the civil society and the media to discuss critical global issues and the contribution of science towards meeting the challenges they present. In the event, scientists renew their commitment towards the ethical use of scientific knowledge in addressing grand challenges of humankind.
My participation in the event has enabled me to realise that the accelerating accumulation, use and diffusion of scientific knowledge and its application in technological innovations is reshaping our world. Advances in science have enabled us to confront hunger and disease, to tackle our ever-growing demand for energy, to connect and communicate with immediate effect and they have provided economic foundations for an improved quality of life for the ever-increasing population. Science has revealed complexity of our world, enabled us to observe how we misuse and overuse natural resources and how way of life poses threats for present and future generation
However, science alone cannot offer solutions for the ever-increasing pressing challenges of humankind in the 21st century. But science is at the heart of our greatest achievements and our most concerning challenges. Science offers the means to discuss and address our challenges. The issues were discussed in the event.
The participants of the World Science Forum called for concerted action and mobilising the international scientific community to play our role to advance the use of science to support global and national initiatives to meet the objectives defined in the Agenda 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The participants, who support the use of scientific evidence in policy making, called for international collaboration to advance science as foundation of sustainable development worldwide. We advocated for improved quality in science education in particular at the early stage as an important pre-condition for the young generations to enter into science and engineering careers.
We expressed our determination to fight poverty and hunger, to promote just, equitable, inclusive and peaceful societies, and the restoration, protection and sustainable use of natural resources and ecosystems. We sought an integrated approach in addressing the environmental and social economic dimensions of sustainable development.
We felt that there was a need to identify key regional and national priorities. For this reason, we highlighted the importance of giving priority to policy measures that are evidence-informed and open to appropriate science-based assessment, with a view to promote social, environmental and economic well-being. We called on governments to recognise and act on the importance of the co-operation between national governments and scientific bodies to build national and regional strategies that provide the best cost-benefit ratio towards meeting global objectives.  We recognised that the need to define the principles, processes and application of science and to address the theoretical and practical questions regarding the independence, transparency, visibility and accountability of those who receive and provide advice has never been more important.
Despite clear advances in emerging economies the knowledge and economic divide between the developed and developing world have widened and is curbing the potential of science and technology to contribute to global development. Research groups in developing countries often operate in isolation, limiting the scope and success of their work. International collaboration is required, and better understanding and use of data are essential to achieve long-lasting progress in research and innovation particularly in the developing world. Lack of a 'critical mass' in the knowledge-based economy greatly affects the research and productive sectors in many regions of the world. Under-investment in capacity building for research and innovation prevents science and technology from promoting sustainable development. For science, technology and innovation to attain full potential and to be truly transformational, people's knowledge, talent and skills need to be improved with a particular focus on mastering of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
We called upon governments to improve the governance of science by empowering women and young scientists, stimulating policy debates, exchanging knowledge of best practices and lessons learned, and by strengthening local institutions. We called for a balanced investment in science, respecting the need for both curiosity-driven and demand-driven research. Transformative science is at first unpredictable in nature; it requires openness to new and unforeseen pathways to promote a paradigm change in technological and social development. These are the outputs from our meeting in Hungary.
Prof. Lutfor Rahman, Association for Advancement of Information Technology (AAIT), Dhaka.
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