United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:
Message for Observance of International Week of Science and Peace
11 - 17 November 2013
VIENNA, 8 November 2013 (United Nations
Information Service) -The observance of the International Week of
Science and Peace was proclaimed 25 years ago by the United Nations
General Assembly.
Science and technology have crucial
roles to play in promoting progress and peace - from climate change to
public health; from food security to sanitation; from disarmament to
disaster preparedness.
Yet too often policy-makers are not
aware of the solutions that modern science and technology can bring to
today's challenges. And too much of the world remains cut off from
scientific advances. One key challenge is to promote "pro-poor"
research that addresses the needs of the world's poorest and most
vulnerable people, such as small-scale farmers. Other imperatives
include closing the digital divide in access to information technology
and expanding education to better train young people for jobs in the
fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Such efforts are
crucial for accelerating our work for the Millennium Development Goals
and defining a bold development vision for the period beyond 2015.
Science offers many answers to shared
threats and many innovations that can help us seize common
opportunities. Ours is the first generation with the knowledge and the
tools to end extreme poverty. Ours is the generation that must - and
can, with the technologies already at our disposal -- forge a path
towards a sustainable future. We also have a responsibility to protect
all humankind against the destructive uses of scientific achievement and
capacity, most notably by working for a nuclear-weapon-free world and
to contain the spread of other weapons of mass destruction.
We can do all of this and more if we
work together to harness the power of science for the greater good
everywhere, and promote evidence-based policy-making. I look forward to
working with the scientific and academic communities and all other
partners who can contribute to the global mission of the United Nations
for peace, development and human rights. Please accept my best wishes
for a memorable observance.
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Join the Forum :
International Week of Science and Peace, 6 -12 November,
International Week of Science and Peace, 6 -12 November,
