Science diplomacy to provide platforms for sustainable development

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Science diplomacy to provide socio-technical platforms

IN the inaugural issue of Science Diplomacy Perspectives, produced by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Career Diplomat Muhammad Adeel wrote about science diplomacy and how it provides socio-technical platforms that can potentially deliver technology-enabled sustainable development.

The United Nations has organized a Food Systems Summit on September 23-24, 2022 to discuss the future of global food systems, especially on attaining zero-hunger. The Summit is the latest effort to provide a science-policy-society interface to actualize innovative solutions for delivering progress across all UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through a food systems approach, the Summit tried to address the entire supply chain. Science diplomacy offers platforms to deliver sustainable development.

Adeel’s paper details the role of science diplomacy and proposes a three-tier approach to improve regulatory outcomes related to agri-biotechnology at the level of process, products, and education.

  • Process: Science diplomacy to enable new technologies through cross-sectoral treaty dialogues and optimal use of available science advice, increasing national capacities in devising regulatory guidelines onagri-biotechnology.
  • Product: Science diplomacy can help provide a science- and society-centered discussion platform for biotech products.
  • Education: Science diplomacy training bring together diverse stakeholders, facilitate engagement, and enable science communication of new and emerging technologies.