|
|
Council of Europe / Conseil de l'Europe
F-67075 Strasbourg cedex (France)
Tél :+33/ 3 88 41 20 00
Fax : +33 / 3 88 41 27 76
Email : [email protected]
http://stars.coe.fr/
Doc. 8530
20 September 1999
Unesco activities in the field of science and technology
Opinion
Committee on Science and Technology
Rapporteur: Mr Karoly Lotz, Hungary, Liberal, Democratic and Reformers Group
Introduction
1. It is a long time ago, if ever, that the Committee on Science and Technology made a written contribution to an Assembly debate on Unesco's activities. However, the present new initiative is very timely as science and technology become factors of growing importance for economic development and human well-being. Issues of research and technology policy and their impact on society have in recent years been at the forefront of public and political debate, including the Parliamentary Assembly.
2. Unesco plays a leading role in co-ordinating research and research policies in certain areas on the global scale. It has also contributed in an important way to the ongoing debate on the ethics of science and bioethics. The World Conference on "Science for the Twenty-First Century: a New Commitment" held in Budapest in June 1999 has made Unesco an even more important stakeholder in the global science policy debate. It is your Rapporteur’s strong conviction that enhanced co-operation between Unesco and the Council of Europe in science and technology issues will become more and more important for both organisations.
3. Your Rapporteur shares the views and conclusions of the report of the Committee on Culture and Education. We would however propose some additional remarks regarding Unesco’s activities in the field of science and technology and strengthening its co-operation with the Council of Europe in that field.
Unesco’s mandate and current activities in the field of science
4. The Constitution of Unesco adopted in 1946 states in Article 1: 'The purpose of the Organisation is to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among the nations through education, science and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations'. In other words, international co-operation within the science field is seen by Unesco first of all as a way of strengthening peace and democracy – a view explicitly expressed also in Article 1 of the Council of Europe Statute.
5. The bulk of Unesco's activities lie within culture and education. However, it is also a major player in the scientific field. Research and development (R&D) activities fall directly under two out of five principal functions of Unesco. The one is "Prospective studies" seeking to define what forms of education, science, culture and communication are needed for tomorrow's world. The other regards "Advancement, transfer and sharing of knowledge" which mainly relies on research, training and teaching activities.
6. Unesco runs a great number of broad scientific projects, primarily within fundamental research, involving numerous member countries. The Report by the Committee on Culture and Education names the principal projects, which basically fall under Major Programme II 'The Sciences in the Service of Development'. In the following paragraphs, some of the main projects are presented in more detail, thus giving an impression of the scope and scale of Unesco's contribution to the increase and promotion of scientific knowledge. Special emphasis is placed on the programmes of direct relevance to the ongoing activities of the Council of Europe.
7. Within the natural sciences, Unesco efforts are organised under the title 'Environment and Sustainable Development'. One of these is the massive 'Man and Biosphere' (MAB) Programme started in 1971, which now enters a new phase focusing mainly on protecting global biodiversity. An important tool to do so is creating a World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The Strategy and Statutory Framework for the world network were drawn up at the International Conference on Biosphere Reserves (1995, Seville).
8. The International Hydrological Programme (IHP) helps member states to upgrade their knowledge of the water cycle and thereby increase their capacity to manage better and develop their water resources. The Programme is now in the middle of its fifth phase, IHP-V (1996-2001), focusing on hydrology and water resources development in a vulnerable environment. The current activities are united in three main clusters related to resource process and management studies, regional studies, and transfer of knowledge, information and technology.
9. The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) was in 1998 heavily involved in The International Year of the Ocean and EXPO’98. These activities of the IOC as an intergovernmental body were in a certain way paralleled by the Parliamentary Conference on Oceans organised by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe within the same framework. The same goes for the intersectoral project on "Environment and development in coastal regions and in small islands" which has much in common with the eventual mandate of the European Maritime Agency (now in the process of being discussed by the Committee of Ministers following a recommendation by the Parliamentary Assembly).
10. In the area of information technologies, much of Unesco's attention is devoted to the development of a sound "Infostructure" (policies, networking and applications) for its Member States. A large number of projects in this area are being implemented within the framework of the Intergovernmental Informatics Programme which in its aims is close to what has been recently recommended by the Parliamentary Assembly.
11. In the area of social sciences, the MOST ('Management of Social Transition') programme should be specially mentioned. This research programme has been designed by Unesco to promote international comparative social science research. Its primary emphasis is to support large-scale, long-term autonomous research and to transfer the relevant findings and data to decision-makers. MOST also publishes state of the art reports that assess existing information on specific topics. The overall long-term objective of MOST is to establish sustainable links between the scientific and policy communities and to emphasise the relevance of social science research for policy-formulation.
Science ethics
12. In the 1990s, the problems of science ethics came increasingly into the forefront of the science policy debate. In November 1997, Unesco efforts in this field resulted in the adoption by the Unesco General Conference of the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights, which has subsequently been adopted by all of the 186 member states. The Declaration has also been backed by the United States and the Vatican Unesco observers. It is now up to the political decision-makers in every country to implement this text in domestic regulations. The Council of Europe’s work in the field of bioethics has been a source of inspiration for Unesco’s work in this sector.
13. Following this successful development, Unesco has recently established a World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST), to tackle the issues of the ethics of energy and freshwater resources and subsequently the ethics of the information society and the use of outer space. The Commission is chaired by Mrs Vigdis Finnbogadottir, the former President of Iceland.
14. The first meeting of COMEST was held in Oslo on 28-30 April 1999 and gathered some 150 participants from 50 countries. Encouraged by the effective and fruitful debate in the field of biomedical research, the Commission has outlined and started discussion within three areas: ethical issues relating to the use of energy (both from renewable and non-renewable sources), freshwater resources, and the information society.
World Conference on Science for the Twenty-First Century: a New Commitment
15. On 26 June to 1 July 1999 Unesco held in Budapest, in partnership with the International Council for Science (ICSU), a World Conference on "Science for the Twenty-First Century: a New Commitment". This was the first global event specifically devoted to the multifaceted problems of contemporary science. It brought together representatives of national science unions and governments, R&D financing agencies, science policy-makers, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, etc. The fact that this event was held in co-operation with the international research community, gives us reasons to believe that the policy measures recommended by the Conference will be duly implemented.
16. The principal aim of the Conference was to analyse the current status of the advancement of science and its impact on the development of societies, and to define the necessary efforts to meet all nations' expectations of development and well being.
17. The framework for the debates in plenary sessions and the many parallel thematic meetings was set by a series of outstanding introductory and keynote addresses during the opening session. The first of these were given by the President of the Republic of Hungary, Mr Árpád Göncz, who underlined the intertwined relationship between sciences and society. He was followed by the President of the Hungarian Academy of Science, Mr Ferenc Glatz, who said that natural sciences could give an important contribution to the preservation of biodiversity, and that he encouraged the social sciences to do more for the preservation of the world's cultural diversity. He remarked that a knowledge-based society demanded an open dialogue between scientists and the public. The Chairman of the Executive Board of Unesco, Mr Pál Pataki, pointed to the role of science when seeking to make a balance between different constraints in our society. The President of the ICSU, Mr Werner Arber, considered as an important duty for scientists to remind the general public that we do not live in a fully domesticated world but rather in a world with in-built uncertainties over which we can, in many cases, have no influence. The Director-General of Unesco, Mr Federico Mayor, expressed the hope that the Conference would be able to map a course for science in the years and decades to come. He stressed, however, that science needs political will. It needs funding and structured support and, in return, it must respond to the needs of society. Science is too important to be left to market forces alone.
18. The President of the Third World Academy of Sciences, Mr José I. Vargas, in his keynote address said that science can in an important way contribute to the well being of society, and he pointed to the need for a new social contract between science and society for the 21st century. Mr M.S. Swaminathan, President of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, India, underlined that scientific research was an essential means of meeting society's future needs in food, water, energy, heath care, shelter, safety and for the elimination of poverty. Mr Neil Lane (Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, USA) in his keynote address pointed to the responsibility of the scientist to digest the growing volume of knowledge, to share that knowledge with the rest of society, and to help society understand where this new knowledge will lead. Finally, Sir Joseph Rotblat, Founder and Former President of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs stressed the importance of good practices and conduct in scientific research. Education of scientists as conscientious and responsible citizens and contributors to the culture of peace was of fundamental importance.
19. The Conference was divided into three major sessions, each including a series of concurrent thematic meetings:
i Science: achievement, shortcomings and challenges;
ii Science and society;
iii Towards a new commitment.
20. The first theme helped clarify the notion that science is a unique component of modern culture. Fundamental research extends our knowledge of the physical, biological and human world in a systematic manner. An important part of the debate concentrated on the problems of science, ethics and responsibility. Science and the environment, science and energy as well as the biological revolution and its implications for health were also important subjects of this debate.
21. The session on science and society highlighted the present tensions resulting from the concept that "techno-science" is responsible for the environmental, technological and industrial hazards of modernity. The debate also illustrated the contribution that science could make to the resolution of many such problems. The challenges of environmental, public health, food security and poverty issues have produced a new socio-economic context for science. There is a need for a new social contract between science and society. The involvement of young people in this process of science for peace and sustainable development is most important. Scientists must share with decision-makers the responsibility for scientifically sound long-term assessment and management of environmental, technological and socio-economic transformations in an increasingly global setting.
22. The final session reviewed the commitment to science by governments, policy-makers, international organisations and the private sector. It also dealt with the commitment towards society on the part of the scientific community.
23. The Conference adopted two basic documents, a Declaration on Science and the Use of Scientific Knowledge and a Science Agenda – Framework for Action. The Declaration (see Annex) outlines fundamental approaches to science and its role in society. Major science and technology policy challenges are defined, as well as general policy measures to respond to them. The Agenda lists a number of specific steps to be taken at both national and international levels to comply with the ambitious goals and principles set by Declaration. Taken together, these two documents provide a basis for coherent science policies worldwide and are therefore of major importance for Europe as a leading global R&D centre. Much attention in the documents is devoted to social aspects of science, such as promoting equality and social cohesion, protecting human rights, dignity and fundamental freedoms and reinforcing the ethical principles of research. Your Rapporteur is therefore of the opinion that the main outcome of the Conference is more than relevant for the Assembly, which should be made aware of its main points.
24. The Conference documents stress that at the turn of the century scientific research ‘is increasing our knowledge of nature in an ever-wider range of scales in space and time and with a higher degree of both detail and complexity’. The research process is becoming increasingly complicated, involving at all stages many actors other than the scientists themselves, and putting science in an ever more complex social context.
25. Science has yielded innovations that have been of great benefit to humankind (such as significantly improved public health conditions, increased production efficiency and new information and communication technologies). However, a number of major problems remain unsolved and sometimes are even created by present-day science. These include challenges of growing inequality, social imbalance or exclusion both between and within nations, environmental degradation, ever more important ethical considerations and ensuring democratic decision-making and gender equality.
26. The Declaration calls upon all nations of the world 'to acknowledge the urgency of using knowledge from the natural and social sciences to address human needs without indulging in its misuse’. To this end, ‘there is need for a vigorous democratic debate on the ethical, cultural, environmental and socio-economic aspects of the use of scientific knowledge’. Parliamentarians are together with governments mentioned among the principal stakeholders in this debate.
27. The Declaration sets out four major principles of science policy. The first is called 'Science for knowledge; knowledge for peace'. This implies that 'governments should give recognition to the key role of scientific research in the acquisition of knowledge, in the training of scientists and in the education of the public’. Governments are further invited to recognise the growing responsibility of the private sector in financing R&D activities.
28. In order to achieve that, the participants committed themselves in the Agenda to the advancement of knowledge through continued and, wherever appropriate, increased fundamental research efforts, enhanced international co-operation and sharing scientific information. The Agenda specially noted the need for higher attention to international programmes for systematic, long-term collection of data on critical parameters for the evolutionary development of our planet and its biosphere.
29. ‘Science for peace’ constitutes the second principle outlined in the Declaration calling upon governments to ‘be aware of the need to apply natural and social sciences and technology to address the root causes of conflict, such as disregard for human rights; lack of justice and democracy, leading to social inequalities and poverty; insufficient protection of minorities, leading to interethnic tension; inadequate education for all; hunger and malnutrition; and environmental degradation, leading to conflicts over the use of natural resources.’ In view of the fact that the UN has proclaimed the year 2000 as the International Year for the Culture of Peace, the Conference urges for a universal commitment to cope with these pressing problems. Increased investment in these areas of scientific research is recommended. This statement is apparently of the greatest relevance for the Council of Europe since it clearly coincides with the core functions of the Council.30
30. The Agenda further stresses that basic principles of peace and coexistence, such as respect for human rights, cultural diversity and religious tolerance, should be part of education at all levels. Countries are encouraged to develop R&D activities directly dealing with conflict prevention and resolution, as well as specifically aimed at addressing the urgent needs of the population and sustainable development. It is also recommended that while respecting secrecy, a dialogue between representatives of civil society and scientists - including those related with military research - should be promoted.
31. The third principle, entitled 'Science for development', underlines the indispensable role of scientific research, education and technology transfer for the economic, social, cultural and environmentally sound development of any country. The Declaration urges providing science education without discrimination as a ‘fundamental prerequisite for democracy and for ensuring sustainable development’. Parliaments and governments are invited ‘to provide a sound legal, institutional and economic basis for enhancing scientific and technological capacity in the public and private sectors’, including intensified international co-operation, promoting links between universities and industry, and protecting intellectual property.
32. The fourth principle is formulated as ‘Science in society and science for society’. It stipulates that the ‘practice of scientific research and the use of knowledge from that research should always aim at the welfare of humankind, men and women alike, be respectful of the dignity of human beings and of their fundamental rights, and take fully into account our responsibility towards present and future generations’. To this end, the Agenda stresses, among others, the importance of free information flows, intensified social research, ensuring equal access to higher education and scientific activities, strengthening the ethical conscience of the researchers, as well as improving intercultural links between modern science and knowledge of traditional societies.
33. The Agenda also contains a number of recommendations concerning science policy as such, requiring action from public authorities, both the legislative and the executive branches. The authorities are inter alia encouraged to:
- develop graduate programmes on science and technology (S&T) policy and social studies on science;
- set up national statistical services capable of providing sound data on science education and R&D activities;
- systematically undertake analyses and studies on science and technology policy in order to define short-term and long-term strategies leading to sound and equitable socio-economic development;
- adopt science policies that imply a steady and long-term support to S&T, ensuring the strengthening of all components of R&D potential;
- create training programmes, for scientists and professionals, on legal issues and regulations guiding international R&D in strategic areas such as information and communication technologies, biodiversity and biotechnology;
- assist developing countries in their efforts to increase their capacity to retain and recover their trained scientists;
- implement S&T policies and programmes that explicitly consider the social relevance, the cultural diversity and gender differences, ensuring an active participation of women in the definition of these policies;
- develop co-operation among international organisations, to improve the measurement and understanding of intangible assets and recognition of their importance and to protect the output of intangible investments in areas such as intellectual property rights.
34. To achieve this, the Agenda recommends to strengthen the ties between Unesco and ICSU, both at the levels of top executives and at the level of Unesco intergovernmental programmes and ICSU international programmes. The Agenda also appeals for 'increased co-operation in science within the entire UN system and the family of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations'.
35. It is in your Rapporteur’s opinion that the Declaration and the Agenda provide a solid and sound basis for science policy-making, both nationally and internationally. Two broad problem complexes could however deserve closer attention in these documents. The one regards research funding, the other concerns the opportunities as well as challenges created by the rapid development of new information and communication technologies and, more generally, the role of science in the emerging information society. However, the Declaration and the Agenda are by no means supposed to be the 'final word' in science policy formulation on the global scale. On the contrary, they explicitly urge for an ongoing broad debate which could elaborate on specific policy issues. The Conference on European science and technology to be held under the auspices of our Committee in Gdansk in October 2000 could be an appropriate forum for such follow-up debate.
36. If implemented, the decisions of the Budapest Conference are sure to enhance the role of Unesco in the global co-ordination and governance of R&D activities, making it ever more important for the Council of Europe to co-operate with this organisation on all aspects of science and technology policy.
Relations with the Council of Europe
37. The Committee on Science and Technology of the Parliamentary Assembly held a meeting at Unesco Headquarters on 26 October 1998. Addressing the meeting, Mr Federico Mayor, the Director General of Unesco, stressed that 'there is a long history of co-operation between the Council of Europe and Unesco in many important fields. I believe it will prove extremely beneficial to pursue this collaboration further. Not only do we share many of the same practices – working in close co-operation with partner organisations as well as directly with all stakeholders – but we also share the same vision'.
38. Regarding co-operation in the field of science and technology, Mr Mayor gave special credit to the Parliamentary Assembly report on basic education in science and technology, inviting all member countries of the Council of Europe to make it a key element of education policies. He also said that Unesco would follow 'with great interest' the follow-up reports on the progress in promoting scientific and technological literacy in Council of Europe member states, which the Committee on Science and Technology was ordered to issue every three years.
39. Activities of both the Council of Europe and Unesco in the scientific field have the same principal aim of bridging the gap between science and policy-making. For this reason, they are often complementary and mutually reinforcing. The Council of Europe Convention on Biomedical Research and its Application with Additional Protocols and the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights constitute the most recent and evident example of this.
40. Unesco has expressed its support for the continuation of the 'Environment for Europe' process and committed itself to enhancing co-operation and synergy between the Pan-European Ecological Network and the Pan-European Biosphere Reserves Network. Besides, Unesco is a party to the Council of Europe’s EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement, the status of which the Parliamentary Assembly has recommended to enhance (Doc. 6549).
41. Other areas where the two organisations could engage in a more active and fruitful co-operation include research in the fields of democracy, human rights and social cohesion, ethical issues of information society, management and use of freshwater resources, marine science and technology, environment control, etc.
42. The ongoing adaptation of the Council of Europe to its new tasks and enlarged membership coincide with the forthcoming strengthening of Unesco's role in global science policy co-ordination. It is our strong belief that these simultaneous developments presume a closer co-operation between the two organisations with the aim of ensuring that their activities should complement each other, each organisation having a clear mandate in the field of science and technology policy.
Elements for the draft Assembly Resolution on Unesco's activities
43. In your Rapporteur’s opinion, the Assembly Recommendation on Unesco's activities (drafted by the Committee on Culture and Education) should include the following elements, covering Unesco’s role in the field of science and technology.
44. In the draft recommendation, after paragraph 7, include three new paragraphs as follows:
"8. The Assembly recognises Unesco’s important role in the conduct and co-ordination of major international scientific research programmes.
9. It stresses the importance of the World Conference on Science for the Twenty-First Century: a New Commitment co-organised by Unesco and the International Council of Science in Budapest on 26 June to 1 July 1999, and it gives its full support to the documents adopted by the Conference.
10. It recalls numerous examples of fruitful co-operation between Unesco and the Council of Europe in the field of science and technology, including notably the issues of science ethics and bioethics, as well as the achievement of gender equality, where the activities of the two organisations have been complementary and based upon shared values. In this context, it hopes to involve Unesco in the preparation of the Assembly Conference on European science and technology (Conference-2000) to be held in Gdansk (Poland) in October 2000".
45. In the operative part, paragraph 11:
"i. ask the governments of the Council of Europe member states to give their support to Unesco's activities in the field of science and technology;
ii. invite Unesco, in particular in its intergovernmental programmes, to enhance its co-operation with the Council of Europe in the field of science and technology, including notably research on the issues of democracy, human rights and social cohesion, ethical issues of information society, management and use of freshwater resources, EuroMediterranean water technology initiative, marine science and technology, and environment protection networks."
46. As Rapporteur I would also recommend that the Assembly instructs the Committee on Science and Technology:
"i. to present opinions on Unesco’s activities in the field of science and technology to the reports by the Committee on Culture and Education;
ii. to engage in an active co-operation with Unesco with the view of preparing and holding joint events, and in particular to involve Unesco in the preparation of the Assembly Conference on European science and technology (Conference-2000) to be held in Gdansk (Poland) in October 1999".
Reporting committee: Committee on Culture and Education
Committee for opinion: Committee on Science and Technology
Draft opinion approved on 20 September 1999
Secretaries to the committee: Mr. Lervik and Mr. Torcatoriu