UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION. Opening address by Mr Federico Mayor

Transcription

1 E DG/94/2 Original: English UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION Opening address by Mr Federico Mayor Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) At the Conference on Science and Technology in Africa Nairobi, Kenya 14 February 1994

2 Mr Minister for Education and Chairman of Kenya's National Commission for UNESCO, Mr Minister for Research, Technical Training and Technology of Kenya, Madam Executive Director of UNEP, Mr Resident Co-ordinator of the United Nations system in Kenya, Distinguished African Ministers for Science, Technology, and Education, Distinguished Ambassadors and High Commissioners accredited to Kenya, Dear Colleagues in and outside the United Nations System, Fellow Friends of Science and Technology in Africa, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to welcome you to this two-day meeting on Science and Technology in Africa. We are particularly pleased that you have been able to take time out from your busy schedules to join us here in Nairobi to mark two events which I consider to be of importance for UNESCO's present and future work: the launching of the Organization's first World Science Report, and the creation of the International Fund for the Technological Development of Africa. From the start, our Organization has had science as a major part of its mandate. Its founding fathers were wise enough to put the 'S' where it belongs - at the very heart of UNESCO. They recognized that co-operation in science had an important role to play both in the promotion of peace and in the advancement of the human condition, and since that time UNESCO has remained the only organization of the United Nations system with a responsibility for science per se. It was therefore natural that, when I proposed that the Organization should publish global reports on its major areas of competence, the World Science Report was put high on the agenda. The General Conference at its twenty-sixth session authorized its preparation and publication, and I am very pleased to be able to present to you today the fruits of this work - the World Science Report do? Exactly what is this World Science Report and what is it trying to In essence, it is an account of the state of science around the world, and how the business of scientific research is being conducted. We believe it to be unique in its breadth of coverage and in the amount of information and informed opinion it contains. In the preparation of this first issue, we have benefited greatly from the co-operation and advice of a number of senior scientists and practised science watchers. They have

3 helped us provide a review of scientific research worldwide, analysed by regions and country groupings that show science in its various stages of development. We examine how science is organized, how it can be measured. Finally we take a look at some of the more significant advances in our knowledge in the basic sciences. Briefly put, we are taking the temperature of science. Over the years - because we intend to publish a new issue every second year from now on - we hope that the World Science Report will come to provide a series of benchmarks - points of comparison and of reflection - that decision-makers at all levels, but especially those such as yourselves, may be able to use in their work of guiding and planning science in their countries, their research establishments or their universities. There are a number of clear messages that emerge from the Report. The first is a picture of continuing inequality. We see that over 80% of scientific research is still concentrated in a mere handful of industrialized countries. Whether measured in terms of R & D expenditure or numbers of active scientists and engineers, the great disparities are selfevident. There is a fundamental paradox here. Whilst it is universally recognized that science and technology have a key role to play in socioeconomic development, the efforts made by national governments on behalf of science - as measured in terms of R & D investment as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - often fall short of what may be seen as a desirable minimum. While countries such as Japan with 3.1%, the United States with 2.8% and those of the European Community with a collective figure of 2.0% lead the table, the States in the South are - for one reason or another - able to devote only a fraction of this. In Latin America, for example, the regional figure is 0.4%. North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa both show 0.3%. Even those countries with important scientific communities in certain disciplines, like India and Brazil, are not able to better 0.8% of GDP. Under the Lagos Plan of Action for the Economic Development of Africa ( ) African Heads of States and Governments pledged to allocate annually at least 1% of their national budgets in favour of science and technology. Unfortunately, hardly any government has been able to meet this target to date. Today, Africa is responsible for just 0.2% of the world's R & D expenditure. The state of a country's science can be measured by its most important asset - human resources. A healthy scientific community demands a certain critical mass of trained manpower, below which the problems of isolation and lack of interaction with the mainstream of scientific activity manifest themselves. Again, the World Science Report shows a situation in which there is extreme imbalance. If we take as our yardstick the number of scientists and engineers per 1000 population we see that the industrialized countries of Japan, the USA and Europe have

4 3 between 2 and 5 scientists per The developing countries have extremely modest scientific communities - in all cases less than one scientist per thousand inhabitants. Sub-Saharan Africa, India and the Middle and Near East each have figures of the order of one scientist per ten thousand inhabitants. It is clear that for countries in these areas the most urgent need is capacity building - the bolstering of the scientific infrastructure and the development of human resources. It is here that international action such as is advocated by UNESCO comes into play. Training and co-operation in research permeates all of the Organization's programmes in science and engineering. We are placing particular emphasis on new initiatives aimed at bringing about scientific training and the transfer of knowledge, such as the UNESCO Chairs scheme, the UNITWIN university twinning network, and the short-term fellowships programmes. All such initiatives share the common aim of helping countries to be self-reliant through the creation of vital human links, and of opening up the flow of information and knowledge between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. For many countries the immediate solution to the problem of training lies in study abroad. The World Science Report discusses the mobility of students, and reports that of the estimated 61 million students in the world some 2% are studying in a foreign country. Of these, some 70% are from developing countries. Sub-Saharan Africa is seen to send more of its students abroad for study purposes (14.4% of its student population) than any other geographical zone. On the positive side these students benefit from a good education, gain experience of a more industrialized country, use equipment not available back home, and generally forge links which they will profit from throughout their careers. However, the dangers inherent in long-term education abroad in terms of brain-drain are evident, and they need to be countered by innovative action. Examples are given in the report, ranging from the joint internship programme set up by the African Academy of Sciences to the creation of telematic networks in Latin America to combat the isolation of researchers. The importance of centres of excellence such as the International Centre for Theoretical Physics for the training of students at a high level is described in a personal essay by Professor Abdus Salam, Nobel Prizewinner and champion of Third World science. The World Science Report describes some of the key characteristics of modern science. One is its increasing interdisciplinarity. Once distinct separations between disciplines are disappearing, and it is often at the interfaces that the most fertile research areas are to be found, one field benefiting from the next. We can see today how the major successes in molecular genetics and biotechnology owe much to the advances made in physics, chemistry and biology. Environmental problems - we now understand - can only be thoroughly investigated through the concerted efforts of biologists, geologists, chemists, engineers, and so on.

5 4 The authors of the Report make a strong plea in favour of the basic sciences, and their importance to developed and developing countries alike. I can only support this view. As I have said many times, there can be no applied science if there is no science to apply. Countries - all countries - need personnel with adequate background knowledge and trained in research skills, and this can only be achieved through a policy of support to the basic sciences. Throughout the Report the importance of co-operation is underscored. Cooperation makes it possible to optimize the human, material and financial resources contributed by the various partners and to limit the risk of duplication of effort. From the scientific point of view there are multiplier effects in the acquisition of new knowledge and in access to new skills and talents not otherwise available in a single country. Cooperation has been UNESCO's watchword in the execution of its mandate in science. Its intergovernmental environmental programmes - the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme, the International Hydrological Programme (IHP), and the International Geological Correlation Programme (IGCP) - are excellent examples of how national talents can be put together to achieve an understanding of natural phenomena and processes that go beyond political frontiers. The Organisation has also promoted numerous forms of co-operation in "non-geographical" fields - such as the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) and, here on this continent, the African Network of Scientific and Technological Institutions (ANSTI) or the African Network of Microbiological Resources Centres (MIRCENS). All these institutions or programmes share a common idea - that cooperation can produce a whole which is much bigger than the sum of the parts. Distinguished colleagues, I have spoken at some length about the scientific situation in the world as depicted in the World Science Report, and I make no apology for this. Many of the inequalities and distortions I mentioned earlier - in terms of investment, scientific infrastructure and qualified personnel - manifest themselves most vividly here in Africa. I therefore decided that the official launching of the Report could serve to focus attention upon the state of science and technology in Africa, and provide an opportunity for dialogue between UNESCO and you, the decision-makers, as to how best we can together forge new partnerships for development. And presenting the Report here is symbolic, because development in Africa will, in the end, depend on the transfer of knowledge and on the concomitant development of expertise. African leaders, whether at the Ministerial or Presidential level, have expressed their need for assistance in utilizing S & T for economic recovery and development. The

6 5 international scientific community must respond by proposing new and dynamic programmes. I am determined that UNESCO should play a leading role in this process. During the coming sessions of this symposium you will have the opportunity of discussing the crucial issues of human resources development and university-industry-science partnership. During the session tomorrow afternoon my colleagues from the UNESCO Secretariat will present accounts of several programmes in Africa which have achieved and are still achieving - significant results. These could be regarded as success stories from which we might gain inspiration for future activities and on which you might wish to base recommendations to the Organization and other parties on future co-operation for development in Africa. I do not propose to describe now the past and present activities of UNESCO in relation to this region. I will leave that to my colleagues. I should like, however, to say something about the Organization's intentions and provisions regarding Africa. As you may know, the General Conference at its twenty-seventh session in Paris last October/November affirmed its commitment to four priority areas - Africa, Women, the Least Developed Countries, and Rural Areas and Literacy - and allocated an additional sum of US$ 5 million to these areas. This will increase the significant funding already earmarked for the African region in the Programme and Budget. To this sum should be added the extrabudgetary funding anticipated from external sources during this same budgetary period. The total amount allocated to activities benefiting the African region is expected to be in direct costs some 44 million dollars for the biennium. These activities will obviously reflect the strong emphasis UNESCO is placing on environment and sustainable development. No one who sets foot on this continent can ignore the majesty and scale of its natural resources. Nor can they be unaware of the threat to certain ecosystems and to their biological diversity. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1990 recognized the need to achieve sustainable development whilst not jeopardizing the future through the misuse of the environment and the squandering of natural resources. In addition to major conventions on biodiversity and climate change, the Summit produced Agenda 21 - a world action plan for the pursuit of equitable and sustainable development. UNESCO has reoriented its programmes to meet the specific objectives of Agenda 21 and the conventions, focussing particularly on those chapters in which the Organization already has substantial programmes and expertise. In addressing UNCED follow-up in the African region, we work closely with other United Nations agencies, especially UNEP, UNDP and FAO, as well as the international scientific community through professional and scientific associations, notably the

7 6 International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) and its member unions and committees. I very much hope we can increase our cooperation with the Economic Commission for Africa of the United Nations and other regional organizations. In addressing the complex and varied challenges of sustainable development, Africa will need to be able to call on a great deal of technological expertise. The establishment, some 14 years ago, of the African Network of Scientific and Technological Institutions (ANSTI) proved to be a most significant initiative for the improvement of training and research on this continent. More recently, UNESCO has promoted a Regional Project on the Development of Learning Materials in Engineering Education (DELTMEE) and an African component of the UNESCO University/Industry Partnership Programme, UNISPAR/AFRICA. By their very nature, these programmes geared towards enhancing research and development are in need of longer-term financing. We have therefore decided to create a special fund for this purpose - the International Fund for the Technological Development of Africa. Within the context of the Fund, new programme activities will be developed by African specialists, in collaboration with international and private development agencies. I would like to announce here that UNESCO will immediately contribute the sum of one million U.S. dollars to the Fund as a mark of our commitment to the technological development of the region. Immediately after this symposium, from 16 to 22 February, a regional meeting of science and technology experts and industrialists will take place here in Nairobi to elaborate guidelines for private-sector-driven programmes at national and subregional levels that might be financed through the Fund. Its recommendations will be fed into the design of projects to be considered at a donors' conference later this year. I am convinced that a carefully targeted and balanced programme to consolidate basic scientific and engineering skills in areas directly relevant to African industry can help this continent add technological value to its enormous human resource base. The International Fund for the Technological Development of Africa can form a new, dynamic channel through which an active partnership between your governments, institutions and private development agencies may be forged. Ministers, Excellencies Ladies and Gentlemen, These, then, are UNESCO's plans and intentions. Let me now say what I believe Africa must do. Africa, above all must evolve its own blueprint for development and must no longer depend on external models. Your

8 7 continent possesses the necessary talent and resources. What it needs is the knowledge and expertise to realize its human and natural potential. In 1989 I put forward a package of programmes for your continent under the title Priority : Africa, and in 1991 UNESCO's General Conference designated Africa as one of its main priorities. Now what we want is for Africa to state its own priorities. We want to listen. We want to know your own prescriptions for mastering and shaping your future. A number of world leaders have recently shown that, even in the worst situations, it is possible to find approaches that enable us to deal with problems in a radically new way. They have demonstrated that it is possible to invent the future rather than merely perpetuate the present. But this cannot be done by following external precept. In the words of the poet, which apply also to the politician : "That which is creative must create itself". I like to repeat that Africa must not be seen as a problem, that it can be part of the solution. It is precisely in order to contribute to Africa's self-expression that I have convened a major meeting for next autumn. The purpose of the UNESCO Consultations for Africa is to learn what are the options within our fields of competence, as envisioned by Africans themselves. Let me say a word here about structural adjustment policies. Such policies tend to prescribe uniform treatment for situations and needs that are in reality extremely diverse. Too often the conditionalities attached to loans have been shortsighted, have failed to take into account the interests of people. The social price you are paying for such aid without a human face is very high indeed. How can an outside agency presume to impose premature elections as a prerequisite for the granting of loans? To say yes - firmly and unequivocally - to democratic values, justice, equity, and freedom of expression does not mean saying yes to models ill-adapted to distinctive African realities. No, Africa must become less dependent on such assistance and must learn to develop its own endogenous capabilities. We must never forget that every country in the world has lessons to teach us on how human welfare and happiness are to be achieved. Are not the very rich countries coming to realize, slowly but surely, that they must change so that the resources of the planet are shared more fairly and so that their younger generations can find deeper and more compelling reasons for living? In this context, education worldwide - particularly higher education - calls for radical change. Above all it must become a lifelong, intensive and diversified process informing all aspects of social life. In 1995 the World Summit on Social Development is being convened in Copenhagen by the United

9 8 Nations. The African countries should have a well-defined strategy for presenting the Summit with their priorities in UNESCO's fields of competence - priorities reflecting their own autonomous vision of their future. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The time has come for Africa to move on from structural adjustment to social adjustment through self-reliant development. There can be no sustainability if development is permanently assisted from outside. My message to you is this : take your destiny in your hands. The help that UNESCO or any other external entity can extend to Africa must never amount to more than helping Africa to help itself. Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish you every success in your discussions and deliberations over the next two days. I declare open the Symposium on Science and Technology in Africa.