Rana Tanveer Hussain, the
Minister for Science of Technology, Government of Pakistan, has felicitated
COMSATS and UNESCAP on signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that aims to
promote science, technology and innovation (STI) as key means of implementation
to meet the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The MoU was
signed between the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and
the Pacific (UNESCAP), and the Commission on Science and Technology for
Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) on December 20, 2017. The Executive Director COMSATS, Dr. S. M.
Junaid Zaidi, and the Executive Secretary UNESCAP, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, signed
the agreement on behalf of their Commissions among a gathering of foreign
diplomats and representatives of various government officials of Pakistan. The
agreement transpired as a result of contacts established with UNESCO in October
this year and a meeting held earlier during the day.
Speaking at the signing
ceremony held in Islamabad at a diplomatic dinner, His Excellency Mr. Hussain
hoped that the two Commissions would complement one another’s work in the
fields of climate change, sustainable development, e-health, and ICTs. He
appreciated the offer of ESCAP to help COMSATS establish a Climate Change
Research Institute in one of its member states with the involvement of UNFCCC.
The Federal Secretary MoST, Ms. Yasmeen Masood, also graced the ceremony with
her presence.
At the signing ceremony,
Dr. Zaidi said, ‘Avenues of collaboration between COMSATS and UNESCAP exist in
different fields including information technology, biotechnology, fuel cells,
and nanotechnology.’ He also mentioned that support and cooperation from
organizations like UNESCAP can help COMSATS achieve its goal of sustainable
development of its member countries. He duly acknowledged the support from
COMSATS’ Member States, especially Pakistan for the organization’s functions. Sharing
her views, Dr. Shamshad stated that ‘STI knowledge sharing and collaboration
will be critical to ensure that no country is left behind in the frontier
technological revolution. This partnership with COMSATS pools together our
collective STI resources and expertise to support our respective Member States
to chart this future together.’
The MoU will see both
parties collaborate on joint research, events, capacity building, and
strengthening the COMSATS STI Network of Centres of Excellence; providing
comprehensive thought leadership, cooperation platforms and technical and
advisory services, to support member countries’ efforts to exploit the
potential of STI for sustainable development.
*****
