NEWS
The Global Knowledge Dialogue (GKD), an initiative by the International Science Council (ISC), was successfully held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 6 October 2023, to strengthen the voice of science in the Asia and the Pacific Region and work towards developing the actionable pathways that advance science as a global public good.
Prof. Huadong Guo, the Honorary President of International Society for Digital Earth, was invited to deliver a keynote speech at the GKD 2023 plenary session, and ISDE delegates participated in the pre-events on 5 October and the full schedule of the meeting on 6 October. More than 140 Member representatives from 30 countries attended the dialogue.
Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Malaysia, The Honourable Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup, in his officiating speech for the GKD 2023, said, “Strategic alliance and collaboration help to create global solutions for global challenges, urging partners to make continuous contributions through international cooperation. GKD is a valuable platform for policymakers, scientists and citizen scientists to discuss integrating science into developing a more comprehensive action plan.”
“Cooperation and collaboration in an open and inclusive dialogue are essential in formulating our mission to build a more sustainable future. Let this Global Knowledge Dialogue for Asia and the Pacific sow the seeds of comprehensive knowledge, giving due recognition to all kinds of human knowledge that exist within us,” remarked the President of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, Academician Datuk Dr Tengku Mohd Azzman Shariffadeen.
Meanwhile, the President of the International Science Council, Sir Peter Gluckman, said, “It is an honour to be back in Malaysia, along with many colleagues and friends from the science communities of the Asia-Pacific region. In order to meet the global Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, we need immediate, equitable shifts towards sustainability in every field, from science and policy to business and community. The UN has just declared the decade of science for sustainability, and the ISC is fully committed to working with UNESCO and other science organisations to ensure meaningful progress.”
The ISC held its first in a series of GKD in Cape Town, South Africa, on 7 December 2022. The second series will be held during the 2023 International Greentech & Eco Products Exhibition & Conference (IGEM), with pre-events held on 5 October 2023.
The Director of the International Science Council Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific hosted at the Australian Academy of Science, Dr Petra Lundgren, said, “The Global Knowledge Dialogue will kickstart a new era of scientific collaboration in the region by bringing together some of the brightest minds who will build actionable pathways for some of our most difficult challenges. I’m excited about working with the region’s scientific academies, associations, and institutions to build a global voice for science in our dynamic region.”
One such opportunity is through the ISC’s Global Commission on Science Missions for Sustainability, a new report recently launched at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum. The report, Flipping the Science Model: A Roadmap to Science Missions for Sustainability, serves as a call, inviting all stakeholders, both familiar and unconventional, to unite with the science community in this endeavour of collectively catalysing science’s power to drive transformative action towards a more sustainable world for all.
For the report details, please refer to the link below:
Flipping the Science Model: A Roadmap to Science Missions for Sustainability
GKD 2023 will focus on how to progress the role of science in achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific. The outcomes from the various sessions will inform programmes and activities of the ISC Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific and help to identify regional priorities, opportunities, and challenges with a particular focus on how to fund and undertake science for sustainability now and into the future.
The International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE) has been serving as an active member of ISC since it was announced as one of the official members of International Council of Science Unions (ICSU) on the ICSU 32nd plenary meeting held in Taipei in October 2017. In July 2018, the International Council of Science Unions (ICSU) and the International Social Science Council (ISSC) were merged into today’s International Science Council (ISC). As an ISC Affiliated Member, ISDE is always dedicated to upholding its commitments to the global geospatial societies. Besides ISC, ISDE is also a member of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management: Geospatial Societies (UN-GGIM GS), and has close ties with the Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA), the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), the World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) and other important international academic organizations, increasingly expanding its influence on international academic cooperation and exchange as a main force in the field of geospatial information.
