Islamabad, 10th May 2024. Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) hosted a panel discussion of scientific experts as part of the 9th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, under the sponsorship of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). “Catalyzing Change: Science, Technology, and Innovation in the Global South” was the title. (https://sdgs.un.org/tfm/STIForum2024)

The discussion session was moderated by COMSATS Executive Director, Amb. Dr. M. Nafees Zakaria. The Panelists hailed from COMSATS Centres of Excellence in China, Sri Lanka and Columbia, namely Prof. Lin Zhaohui, Director, International Centre for Climate and Environment Sciences (ICCES), China; Prof. Eduardo Posada, Director, International Centre for Physics (CIF), Colombia; Prof. Chaoguang Tian, Deputy Director-General (International Cooperation), Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology (TIB), China; Prof. I.G.N. Hewajulige, Additional Director General (Research and Development), Industrial Technology Institute (ITI), Sri Lanka; as well as UNIDO-Austria.

The Experts generally followed the theme of the 9th Forum: “Science, Technology and Innovation for reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and Eradicating Poverty in Times of Multiple Crises: The Effective Delivery of Sustainable, Resilient and Innovative Solutions”.

The panelists deliberated upon the role of qualified and skilled human capital, South-South cooperation, and significance of emerging technologies in facilitating sustainable development.

The panelists shared their respective organization’s activities in the context of contributing to achieving the SDGs, and were unanimous in their resolve for effective utilization of tech-based solutions, emerging and disruptive technologies, for addressing the contemporary challenges.

Ambassador Zakaria stressed that high tech solutions are pivotal for mainstreaming the developing countries and bringing them at par with the developed world.

COMSATS is an intergovernmental organization (IGO) of 27 countries of the Global South founded in 1994 by world renowned Pakistani Physicist & Nobel laureate. The IGO is a proponent of S&T for sustainable development.