With the aim of highlighting the important role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues, November 10th of each year is celebrated as the World Science Day for Peace and Development. According to UNESCO, this year the theme of the world science day is “Science for and with Society in dealing with COVID-19”.
With the entire world is hit hard by the COVID 19 pandemic, the theme of the world science day for peace and development targets bringing science closer to society and to bolster the critically needed international scientific collaborations.
According to UNESCO their response to COVID-19 is structured around three major pillars: promoting international scientific cooperation, ensuring access to water and supporting ecological reconstruction.
Promoting international scientific cooperation
To tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative to strengthen international and national scientific cooperation, as well as the dialogue between scientists, policymakers, private practitioners, industries and health professionals, civil society and public at large. This calls for open access to scientific knowledge and know-how, data sharing and evidence-based policy and decision making and an urgent transition to Open Science globally.
Improving access to water and sanitation
Access to clean and safe water and sanitation is critical and is indispensable to avoid the spread of COVID-19 and to fight the pandemic. UNESCO provides scientific and technical advice and builds capacity for evidence-based and inclusive water policies and for the sustainable management of water resources towards ensuring access to clean and safe water and sanitation for all.
Supporting ecological reconstruction
The pressure on biodiversity and its natural habitats favor the emergence of zoonoses such as COVID-19. More than ever, there is a need to rethink the links between people and nature. UNESCO’s designated sites, such as Biosphere Reserves and Global UNESCO Geoparks, are powerful tools for bringing people closer to nature by testing and applying integrated approaches to biodiversity conservation and sustainable use and sustainable development.
In a special statement the director general of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay says,
“The current crisis should serve as a wakeup call regarding the urgency for increased financing and support of scientific research and collaboration. This concerns not only the natural sciences, but also the social and human and sciences. The virus is an all-encompassing societal issue, irreducible to epidemiological data alone, however fundamental they may be.”
In line with the World Science day 2020 UNESCO organized an expert panel on 6th November in which experts discussed various aspects around this year’s theme. The dialogue was chaired by Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences and keynote speech was delivered by Prof. Edith Heard, 2020 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Laureate for Europe, and Director-General European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
Programs in Sri Lanka
Usually the World Science Day is celebrated in a grand scale with the guidance of National Science Foundation, Last year a special science day ceromancy was held in a grand scale with the participation of many scientists and students from schools around the country. And also, NSF organize many science related competitions among science societies in school level and university level. But this year with this ongoing pandemic situation the competitions were held in a limited scale through online submissions.
According to Dr P.R.M.P. Dilrukshi, Head of the science communication and outreach division of NSF, a special event to celebrate World Science Day will be held as a webinar on 20th November with the participation of four guest speakers. The keynote speech will be delivered by Dr. Bandu Vijey, who is a world-renowned inventor and an entrepreneur. And another special session in Tamil language has also being organized and the time and date for that session is to be announced later.
Excellent work. Congratulations to Mr.Sisira Kumara.
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