On Saturday, Libyan acting Minister of Education of the Government of National Accord (GNA), Mohammad al-Amari, participated in the 17th annual virtual meeting of the Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum, which is being held in Japan. Ministers of science and technology of more than 50 countries are attending the forum in Kyoto, from 3-6 October.
During his statement, al-Amari talked about the Libyan experience in facing the threat posed by the coronavirus, through providing sufficient support for research centres. He also highlighted the role played by the Natural Sciences and Technology Research Authority in the field of science, technology and innovation over recent years.
“We are now facing an unprecedented global crisis with the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “This pandemic has not only curtailed free movement of people but even international collaboration in science and technology,” he added.
Al-Amari noted that that the role of science and technology in the post COVID-19 era will grow ever more crucial.
Notably, the STS forum aims to provide a new mechanism for open discussions on an informal basis, and to build a human network that would, in time, resolve the new types of problems stemming from the application of science and technology.
This forum is an opportunity for real dialogue among peers as the STS forum members participate, not as representatives of their country or organisation, but as individuals expressing their own views.
The event is a convened every year with well over 1,000 creative and visionary minds from 50 countries and regions participating in it. As a result, the STS forum has become a global movement embracing the scientific community and beyond, forming networks among leaders from around the world to share collective knowledge and realise science’s full potential.