Turkey’s Science Diplomacy Symposium: Confronting Global Challenges

The Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA), in collaboration with the Association of Academies and Societies of Sciences in Asia (AASSA), will be hosting the international symposium “Science Diplomacy for Sustainable Development” on June 28 in Ankara. This symposium, hosted by Hacettepe University, aims to bring together academics, diplomats, representatives of regional organizations, scientists, and researchers. Spanning two days, the symposium will focus on exploring the power of science diplomacy in addressing global challenges and creating a roadmap for the future. With five sessions planned, the event will feature contributions from nearly 30 scientists from different countries worldwide.

The opening speeches for the symposium will be delivered by William Colglazier from the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Center for Science Diplomacy and Professor Hüseyin Şeker from Birmingham City University. TÜBA President Professor Muzaffer Şeker stressed the importance of international collaboration in tackling pressing global issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, migration, and environmental pollution. He highlighted the role of science diplomacy in promoting sustainable development, encouraging innovative solutions and policies through scientific dialogue and partnerships, and ensuring a better future for all.

Professor Şeker underscored the significance of the symposium in facilitating knowledge and resource exchange and emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary and international networks in finding solutions to the complex challenges of our time. TÜBA Principal Member and AASSA President Professor Ahmet Nuri Yurdusev acknowledged that sustainability and sustainable development have been important topics of discussion for the past 40 years. He emphasized the urgency of addressing issues such as rapid population growth, unequal development between societies, pandemics, wars, mass displacements, and limited resources.

Yurdusev highlighted the need for global mobilization and collaboration to tackle these disruptions that go beyond legal and political boundaries. He concluded that science diplomacy led by the Academies of Sciences will play a crucial role in contributing to sustainability.