The International Forum on Science and Technology in Society (STS, for its acronym in English) will seek short-term measures this year, with the exchange of knowledge and resources with the intention of mitigating different global and even regional problems, focusing, as “ main challenge”, in the covid-19 pandemic.
In a remote interview with the day, Yu Serizawa, general director for international affairs at the STS Forum, created by the Japanese government in 2004, explained that one of the main conclusions of their most recent meetings was “that connectivity in this world of pandemic and closed borders, or almost closed, it is more than important for the discussions to continue, the information to flow and the population that needs it to be taken care of”.
Regarding the field of medical science research, he stressed that “although much progress has been made in a very short time, it is noteworthy that we have vaccines and even some medicines. We must ensure that humanity has access to these cures and prevention methods” in order to mitigate the health crisis.
The specialist stated that “access to education in science and technology at an early age is very important, specifically for girls, because it is a way of preventing phenomena, such as the current pandemic.”
Initiatives against climate change
He pointed out that one of the main projects of the STS Forum since its inception is the one related to climate change that has to do with mitigation, “that is, the science behind the causes of this phenomenon”, in which area he highlighted the contributions of the Mexican scientist Mario Molina, winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, in atmospheric chemistry research, especially in the discovery of the ozone layer and its holes.
Despite the fact that it emerged with a global perspective, he indicated that “years after the forum was created, we organized conferences, annexed, dedicated specifically to climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean, because while we wait for the effects of long-term mitigation, there may be more suffering and many lives can disappear”.
He explained that it is taken into account because it is a region with a very large population with very specific needs, in education, science and technology, among other fields. “Our specific objective is not Latin America, but we do want to improve our relationship with the region regardless of the distances.”
Since the first forum, some developing countries gave official help or assistance in the purchase of hospital beds and cleaning water, but also the members of the STS managed to approve official resources not oriented “to the assistance of hardware, to the tangible,” such as sending scientists to do research on real local terrain.
Serizawa recalled that since 2008 there is a close relationship between the STS Forum and the Mexican authorities. “One of the objectives of the STS Forum has been to increase the number of participants from Latin America and the Caribbean, and Mexico has become the best gateway to the region,” he commented.
As a result, in December of last year the First High-Level Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean STS Forum was held with a hybrid format due to the pandemic: face-to-face and remote sessions between the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, in Mexico City, and the Mexican embassy in Tokyo.
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