UN-assisted forum on the purposes of scientific inquiry opens in Hungary
The United Nations-backed World Science Forum in Budapest, Hungary, has drawn some 400 scientists, political decision-makers, and representatives of UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private companies to discuss the ultimate purposes of science.
The Forum, which runs through tomorrow, was organized by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and the International Council for Science, around the theme Knowledge, Ethics and Responsibility.
"The questions we have to address today are: Knowledge for what? What is the impact of knowledge and human welfare and on living organisms, the environment and future generations? How should knowledge be developed and applied so that its impact is beneficial and enhances both human dignity and human potential?" UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura explained.
UNESCO has organized two special sessions during the Forum. The first will discuss "Science for a Democratic World: the role of parliaments." The second, organized with the Israeli-Palestinian Science Organization will discuss "Science for Peace."
Analysis of the approaches taken by scientists and decision-makers, the role of the private sector in scientific inquiry, the education of future generations and the future of the environment are among other topics to be discussed at the Forum, UNESCO said.
The opening of the Forum coincided with the World Science Day for Peace and Development, marked each year on 10 November. On that day, seven UNESCO prizes were awarded in such areas as the popularization of science, dialogue between scientists and the public, microbiology, environmental science, and encouragement for young scientists.
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences, in partnership with UNESCO and the International Council, established the World Science Forum in 2003 as a follow-up to the first World Conference on Science, which took place in Budapest in 1999. The aim of the Forum is to promote dialogue concerning the new roles and challenges of scientific knowledge.