AfricaBio
Issue 4 – August 2002
This
Newsletter is intended as a forum for information exchange and dialogue in the
build-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). Forthcoming
newsletters will focus on major issues on the agenda of the nine major groups
involved and other relevant issues as they arise.
Highlights of the Science Forum
Monday 26 August
Women in Science will be setting the pace at the Forum on
Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development at the WSSD in
Johannesburg when the Third World Organisation for Women in Science (TWOWS)
kicks off the forum at 10:00 on Monday 26 August in the Ubuntu Village,
Johannesburg. Issues to be discussed include the contribution of women
scientists in establishing the social contract between science and society, and
the role of women in building partnerships with stakeholders at all levels of
society.
TWOWS has a membership of over 2000 women scientists from all countries of the
developing world. TWOWS President and Vice Chancellor of the University of
Swaziland, Prof Lydia Makhubu says their involvement in the WSSD flows from the
organisation’s objective to promote women’s access to science and technology
with the view of strengthening their roles in the sustainable development of
their countries. “I am urging women
scientists to join us in this discussion. It is an open session in which we
will encourage active participation by women from all fields of science and
technology”, she says.
Discussions on the Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment, a four year (2001-2005) international assessment of
current and future ability of ecosystems to meet human needs for goods and
services have been included in the Science Forum programme on Monday 26 August
at 13:00, with United Nations Environment Programme Executive Director, Dr
Klaus Töpfer taking the lead, followed by perspectives from Norway, South
Africa and India.
Also
scheduled for Monday 26 August at 18:00 is Science behind
Poverty,
a session dedicated to discussing how innovative scientific methods can be used
to address poverty, and will include prominent individuals from China, India,
Indonesia, Italy, the United States of America and South Africa taking a stand
on this challenge.
Tuesday
27 August
The International Council for
Science (ICSU) is undertaking a series of sessions in partnership with the
Third World Academy of Science (TWAS) and the World Federation of Engineering
of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) to debate issues pertaining to science’s
contribution in humanity's collective effort to move towards the goal of
sustainable development.
“It is now clearer than ever that the challenges posed by sustainable
development have outstripped the capacities of the S&T Community and
society to forge effective and comprehensive responses. We must resolve to
devise a new set of strategies to meet the challenges ahead. These strategies
should be based on a new implicit social contract between society and science
for sustainable development”, says a spokesperson at ICSU.
The topics addressed are of global
concern, but several of the sessions and presentations will address how science
and technology can help African countries to address some key issues in relation
to their sustainable development. The sessions will all be held at the Ubuntu
Village and include:
·
Harnessing Science for Sustainable
Development
·
Engineering and Technology Innovations for
Sustainable Development
·
Capacity Building for Science and Technology
·
Food Security in Africa
·
Blending Traditional and Scientific
Knowledge for Sustainable Development
·
The Role of Global Observing Systems for
Sustainable Development
·
Decoupling Economic Growth and
Environmental Impact
This series of sessions begins on Tuesday
27thAugust and will be concluded with a high level Panel
Discussion on the Role of Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in
Africa on Sunday 1 September
in the Water Berry Room in Ubuntu Village.
Wednesday 28 August
A roundtable: “Science
and Technology Communication for Sustainable Development” will address the
importance of science and technology communication in sustainable development,
the obstacles and hurdles that such communication currently faces, and the
practical measures needed to overcome these at national, regional and
international levels. It takes place on 28 August at 09:30 in the Wild Olive
Room in Ubuntu Village.
Saturday 31 August
A whole day event on “The Role of Biotechnology and Biodiversity in
Sustainable Development: A dialogue between government, industry, international
organisations and scientists” will
take place hosted by AfricaBio and partners on Saturday 31 August
starting at 10:00. Topics of panel discussions include:
·
Role of
Industry in Sustainable Development
·
Successful type
II partnerships with industry
·
Role of
Scientists in Sustainable Development
·
The View from
Developing Countries: How to achieve Real Sustainable Development
·
General
discussions and recommendations
This will be followed in the evening by the prize giving for the poster
competition open to schools in Gauteng on Biodiversity and Biotechnology.
Other events taking place at the Science Forum include:
·
Bridging Science with Local Concerns:
Developing Cross-Sectoral Capacity on Ten Key Aspects of Sustainable
Development, presented by Leadership for Environment
and Development (LEAD);
·
Science Academies: A Tool for Sustainable
Development, lead by the InterAcademy Panel; and Research
Partnerships for Sustainable Development by the International Institute for
Environment and Development (IIED).
On Monday 2 and Tuesday
3 September the South Africa Government and the European Commission are
staging a high-profile Science and
Technology Forum for Sustainable Development. Perspectives on Science and
Technology in Sustainable Development will be presented under various topics
including: The Host Country Experience, with Dr Rob Adam of the South
African Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology; The European
Perspective; The Developing
Countries' Perspective, and S&T for Sustainable Development and
the UN efforts and Sustainable Development Strategy complete these
perspectives.
Other discussions on the SA/EC
agenda include The Fresh Water Challenge, Global Monitoring for
Sustainable Development, Combating Poverty Related Diseases: A European
and Developing Countries Partnership, The Future of Industry in a
Changing World, and Energy for Sustainable Development.
For more detailed information on the programme of the Science Forum,
visit www.scienceforum.co.za/programme.html.
For information on the Science at the Summit Conference being held in
Pretoria, visit: www.scienceforum.co.za/pretoria
Other Relevant Parallel Events
Other events relevant to S&T taking place during the WSSD
include:
Useful links:
UN WSSD – www.johannesburgsummit.org
Global Forum - www.worldsummit.org.za
Business Forum - www.basd-action.net
Local Government Session - www.iclei.org/iclei.htm
JOWSCO Website - www.joburgsummit2002.com
AfricaBio - www.africabio.com
The
UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics:
www.uneptie.org.
Johannesburg Summit Media
Resources and Publications
Earth Summit
2002 - A New Deal:
www.earthsummit2002.org/es/Press%20Release/pb1.htm
Multi-Stakeholder Processes - Beyond Deadlock &
Conflict:
www.earthsummit2002.org/msp/book.htm
Initiatives at the Summit
www.earthsummit2002.org/es/initiatives/default.htm
Media Resource Page
www.earthsummit2002.org/es/news/default.htm
Johannesburg Summit Issues
www.earthsummit2002.org/es/issues/default.htm
Links Page
www.earthsummit2002.org/es/links/default.htm
The Roadmap
to 2002
www.earthsummit2002.org/roadmap/
Implementation
Conference
Governance
Programme
www.earthsummit2002.org/es/issues/Governance/governance.htm
The
UK Government debate on “Hopes for Johannesburg” (15 July - 2 August)
www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/forum.htm.
Summit Institute for
Sustainable Development (The Smithsonian Institution, in collaboration with the
South Africa Department of Education):
www.sacob.co.za/BCF/BusCF/Downloads/letter17/Proposal%20Forms%20for%20the%20SIDS.doc
The draft Programme of
Work for the Summit including organisational:
www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/documents/prepcom4docs/bali_documents/wssd_work_programme.pdf.