A role for UNESCO in promoting A role for UNESCO in promoting new partnershipsnew partnerships

AAAS Annual MeetingAAAS Annual Meeting

St. Louis, MOSt. Louis, MO

February 17, 2005February 17, 2005

Bruce Alberts

Professor, University of California, San Francisco

Co-chair, InterAcademy Council, Amsterdam

My Bottom Line:My Bottom Line:

It is critically important that science, and scientists, achieve a much higher degree of influence throughout both their nations and the world.

• This is important for the success of each nation.

• It is also important for building a better world.

My Bottom Line (continued):My Bottom Line (continued):

• By adopting a carefully selected strategic focus, UNESCO can play a critical role in accomplishing such an ambitious, worldwide agenda for science.

The National Academies began with a charter from president

Abraham Lincoln to the National Academy of Sciences, 1863

A private, non-governmental organization

www.NationalAcademies.orgwww.NationalAcademies.orgFull text of more than Full text of more than 3500 books3500 books now on- now on-

line, accessible through powerful search line, accessible through powerful search engine.engine.

For 146 nations, most reports are now For 146 nations, most reports are now available as free PDFs.available as free PDFs.

• Organizes National Academies reports by theme.

• Links to reports, summaries, and derivative products.

• Translations of some reports.

• State-of-the-art search engine.

Water Information Center http://water.national-academies.orghttp://water.national-academies.org

An important strategic focus for UNESCOAn important strategic focus for UNESCO

• Promoting scientific knowledge as a “public Promoting scientific knowledge as a “public good”, emphasizing both Web-based good”, emphasizing both Web-based knowledge resources and the availability of knowledge resources and the availability of inexpensive bandwidth for all universities inexpensive bandwidth for all universities and research and development institutes.and research and development institutes.

The National Academies’ attempt to promote an enlarged agenda for science

in the 21st century

Emphasizes that an ambitious applied type of science, termed “sustainability science” is critical for the world’s future.

Integrating Knowledge And ActionIntegrating Knowledge And Action

Because the pathway to sustainability cannot be charted in advance, it will have to be navigated through trial and error and conscious experimentation. The urgent need is to design strategies and institutions that can better integrate incomplete knowledge with experimental action--- into programs of adaptive management and social learning.

Our Common Journey, 1999

What will be required for the What will be required for the success of sustainability science?success of sustainability science?

Science and technology can make a major Science and technology can make a major

difference for national development through a difference for national development through a

myriad of interventions, but most of these are myriad of interventions, but most of these are

much too fine-grained for outsiders to expect much too fine-grained for outsiders to expect

to be able to solve other nation’s problems. to be able to solve other nation’s problems.

Instead, our focus should be on helping to Instead, our focus should be on helping to

build the local capacities that each nation will build the local capacities that each nation will

need to solve their problems themselves.need to solve their problems themselves.

One major problem with current development efforts: not enough emphasis not enough emphasis

on building local institutions for science on building local institutions for science and technologyand technology!

For every nation, strong institutions for For every nation, strong institutions for science and technology are keyscience and technology are key

• Scientists are unlikely to be effective in either their work or in guiding the decisions made by their nations without strong institutions to support and harness their efforts.

• To develop, harness, and retain the talent needed in every nation, building and supporting effectiveeffective merit-based institutionsmerit-based institutions for science and technology must become a key goal for development.

An important how-to-do-it guide from the An important how-to-do-it guide from the InterAcademy Council in AmsterdamInterAcademy Council in Amsterdam

Inventing a Better Future: A Strategy for Building Worldwide Capacities in Science and Technology.

• A guide for building high quality institutions for science and technology in every nation.

• Read it at www.interacademycouncil.net

The 2004 report release at the UNThe 2004 report release at the UN

The next step: a new partnership between The next step: a new partnership between the world scientific community and the world scientific community and

UNESCOUNESCO

The InterAcademy Council (IAC) and the The InterAcademy Council (IAC) and the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues InterAcademy Panel on International Issues (IAP), in association with the UNESCO (IAP), in association with the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) in Montreal, are Institute for Statistics (UIS) in Montreal, are initiating a project that enlists the initiating a project that enlists the participation of scientific academies in participation of scientific academies in developing more reliable and useful developing more reliable and useful indicators of S&T capacity and quality. indicators of S&T capacity and quality. These indicators will be designed to help These indicators will be designed to help guide and measure progressguide and measure progress toward S&T toward S&T capacity goals.capacity goals.

Hundreds of well-intentioned international aid

agencies, with their own priorities and idiosyncrasies,

seldom cooperate or even communicate with each

other. Instead, they compete for publicity, funding, and

access to potential recipients. Overburdened leaders

in developing countries, whose governments are often

relatively disorganized, confront a cacophony of offers

and demands from donors.

Jimmy Carter

A second major problem with current development efforts: no no

coordinationcoordination!

Can strong land-grant type universities in the Can strong land-grant type universities in the

developing world help to organize and coordinate the developing world help to organize and coordinate the

work of aid agencies, with university institutes and work of aid agencies, with university institutes and

departments replacing the many uncoordinated and departments replacing the many uncoordinated and

competing NGOs?competing NGOs?

There would be many advantages to such a scheme.There would be many advantages to such a scheme.

Could UNESCO help promote such a change?Could UNESCO help promote such a change?

Strong local institutions are needed to provide the missing coordination

We need to be much smarter in learning from We need to be much smarter in learning from

the thousands of “experiments” in the thousands of “experiments” in

sustainable development underway in the sustainable development underway in the

world, sponsored by NGOs and by world, sponsored by NGOs and by

governments (for example, more than 50 governments (for example, more than 50

different rural ICT projects in India alone). We different rural ICT projects in India alone). We

can learn a great deal from the failures; but can learn a great deal from the failures; but

nearly all such projects claim to be successful, nearly all such projects claim to be successful,

and the lessons learned are thereby lost.and the lessons learned are thereby lost.

A third major problem with current development efforts: little learning from little learning from

experimentsexperiments!

Making a science out of sustainable Making a science out of sustainable development: a task worthy of UNESCOdevelopment: a task worthy of UNESCO

• By catalyzing objective, comparative studies of By catalyzing objective, comparative studies of ongoing projects with similar aims, UNESCO can ongoing projects with similar aims, UNESCO can help create a badly needed, evidence-based science help create a badly needed, evidence-based science of what works where and why.of what works where and why.

In summary: some important strategic goals In summary: some important strategic goals for UNESCOfor UNESCO

• Promoting scientific knowledge as a “public good”, Promoting scientific knowledge as a “public good”, emphasizing both Web-based knowledge resources and the emphasizing both Web-based knowledge resources and the availability of inexpensive bandwidth for all universities.availability of inexpensive bandwidth for all universities.

• Making a science out of sustainable development by Making a science out of sustainable development by encouraging objective comparative studies of ongoing encouraging objective comparative studies of ongoing projects with similar aims.projects with similar aims.

• Working with governments to help each nation recognize Working with governments to help each nation recognize the critical importance of building merit-based institutions the critical importance of building merit-based institutions for science and technology that can solve local problems -- for science and technology that can solve local problems -- while also helping to coordinate the work of aid agencies.while also helping to coordinate the work of aid agencies.

The promise of world science collaborationThe promise of world science collaboration