ISLAMABAD: The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development and Technology in the South (COMSATS) on Tuesday organised a forum on South-South Cooperation-2030 agenda for sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Speakers on the occasion emphasised the need to focus on science and technology through which countries could flourish and achieve the development goals.
COMSATS Executive Director Dr Junaid Zaidi said that COMSATS, being a forum for science and technology, was trying to cooperate with those organisations which were working on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He said that 25 member countries of COMSATS would develop best universities like COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT) in respective countries.
COMSATS was working on its goal to give its membership to further 25 countries with a total of 50 countries within next four years, he said.
COMSATS Advisor Shahid Kamal said, “South-South Cooperation (SSC) was already playing its vital role and expressed the hope that it will continue playing its greater role in future also.”
He said that SSC was introduced in 1978 with the name of Technical Cooperation. He stressed the need to pay more focus on global issues, the role of science and technology and platforms partnerships.
He said north countries should also participate in South-South Cooperation as it plays an integral part and this is a relevant forum to utilise it productively.
He said science and technology need to be considered in SSC countries like low incomes can flourish through science and technology by introducing different innovations.
European Union (EU) delegation Deputy Head Anne Marshal said, “Science and technology were important for SDGs and urged that it should have more focus on poverty, climate change and prosperity.”
She said Horizon-2020 was working on several projects including in Pakistan where it was working on seven projects to produce world class scientists.
Embassy of People’s Republic of China Deputy Head of Mission Zhao Lijian said that China has started poverty eradication campaign in 2016.
He added till now 700 million people were uplifted while further 40 million people will be uplifted from poverty level by 2020.
