ISLAMABAD: President Dr. Arif Alvi emphasized the need of sharing the most recent scientific discoveries, experiences, and accomplishments for the greater good of all humanity on Tuesday, even as he made references to the importance of technological advancement, innovations, and knowledge availability in a variety of fields.
According to the president, information accessibility should not be limited to the concept of “copyrights,” as increased accessibility could aid in assisting humanity in overcoming its current social, economic, and environmental difficulties.
At a ceremony held at the Aiwan e Sadr to commemorate the 29th anniversary of the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), the president was the primary guest.
Academicians, media representatives, retired diplomats, and members of the diplomatic corps were present at the occasion.
The president stated that by realigning priorities that were a little off-track, scientific information should be freely disseminated among all nations.
“Resources for open knowledge should be used, and information sharing should be promoted worldwide. He emphasized that the injustices needed to be addressed.
The president went on to say that “ethics or humanity-based order” may bring about global transformation and that these changes would be necessary for the new world to emerge. He believed that material priorities controlled the rules-based global order.
He lamented that, in opposition to global demands, the ultra-rich were the ones who seemed to be becoming richer while the world’s destitute continued to live in abject poverty and squalor.
He emphasized that the world’s sufferings could be lessened by a fair and just distribution of riches.
“The world is not ready to change the exploitative attitude and end exploitation,” he declared, citing a recent OXFAM research that claimed that although the incomes of around 5 billion people worldwide had decreased, billionaires had increased their wealth.
According to President Alvi, the exponential rate of scientific advancements has made key scientific advances like genome sequencing more accessible to the general public.
The world is developing exponentially because technology is not going to stay the same, he continued.
He claimed that in the future, quantum computing would be able to process health data belonging to billions of people and would also have “tremendous possibilities in the agriculture sector.”
The president highlighted the Netherlands’ agri-advancement, noting that despite its smaller size, it has grown to be the world’s second-largest exporter of agri-products and that it has successfully harnessed its water resources by encouraging plant science and conservation measures.
According to him, Pakistan might emerge as a global leader in nutrition provision by pursuing cutting-edge scientific endeavors. He pointed to the high cost of electricity production and claimed that advances in solar technology may solve the problem.
The president also expressed his happiness that Pakistan and the rest of the world have brought attention to carbon emissions, however more international collaboration was still needed.
The president also praised the scientific and technological advancements made by the 27 members of COMSATS.
To commemorate the event, the president and the envoys of the COMSATS member states also cut a cake.
In his lecture, Dr. Nafees Zakaria, Executive Director of COMSATS, stated that science and technology remain the cornerstones of progress in the quickly changing world of today and hold the key to solving urgent global issues.
A number of recent COMSATS programs addressing artificial intelligence, genomic sequencing, renewable energy, electric vehicles, precision agriculture, industrial biotechnology, and climate change were also highlighted by him.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Dr. Lin Zhaohui, Director of the International Center for Climate and Environment Sciences (ICCES), China, said that the milestone in COMSATS’s history needed to be treasured because it demonstrated the organization’s ongoing commitment to advancing triangular and South-South cooperation in the fields of science, technology, and innovation.
