Her video message was sent during the conference “Addressing Global Challenges Together: the Role of Science Diplomacy” organised by the EU-funded project S4D4C (Science in/for Diplomacy for addressing Global Challenges) from 15-19 March 2021. The conference brought together the EU Science Diplomacy community with global networks and partners during one week in a virtual environment. In over 30 sessions, more than 100 speakers from all over the globe discussed with over 1000 participants the state-of-play, challenges and success stories, as well as recommendation for the future of science diplomacy. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) hosted two sessions, chaired by the DLR-PT.
“I am convinced that science diplomacy unfolds its special power when it is not primarily guided by geopolitical interests, but rather deployed to solve global challenges.” Minister Karliczek further stressed, sharing the strategic approach of her Ministry, in which education and science diplomacy activities are based on three pillars: “connect”, “inform” and “enable”.
To Minister Karliczek, shared European values, especially the freedom of science, play a key role. She therefore called “to uphold academic freedom within Europe. It should also be the basis for cooperation with international partner countries. This is what a European science diplomacy will stand for.”, referring also to recently adopted Bonn Declaration on Freedom of Research.
The video message can be found on the S4D4C website.
In a session on 16 March 2021 entitled “Environment and Sustainability - Improved Communication for Solving Global Challenges", the BMBF invited five experts to actively exchange on success stories, major challenges and recommendations for future actions:
- Anna-Katharina Hornidge, Director of the German Development Institute (DIE), and Professor for Global Sustainable Development
- R. Andreas Kraemer, Founder & Director Emeritus of Ecologic Institute in Berlin, Germany, and Chairman of Ecologic Institute in Washington DC, US
- Jan Marco Müller, Science and Technology Advisor, European External Action Service (EEAS)
- Jacob Rhyner, Professor for Global Change and Systemic Risks, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Bonn, and Scientific Director of the Bonn Alliance for Sustainability Research
- Melanie Virtue, UNEP/CMS Secretariat, Head of Aquatic Species Team (UN)
A selection of the key statements of the panelists can be found on the S4D4C website.
“Open Science: Joint Efforts for a Better Future” was the title of a second session hosted by the BMBF that took place on 17 March 2021. In a fruitful discussion with the audience, the following experts with long-lasting experiences gave examples of best practices with regard to open science and science diplomacy, spoke about the role that open science plays in the COVID-19 pandemic, addressed key challenges and shared recommendations for a new global multi-stakeholder approach to open science:
- Katja Mayer, Sociologist, Elise Richter Fellow, Department of Science and Technology Studies, University of Vienna
- Lutz Möller, Deputy Secretary-General, German Commission for UNESCO and Head of its Sustainable Development, Science Division
- Katharina Höne, Director of Research, DiploFoundation
- Jean-Claude Burgelman, Professor of Open Science Policies and Practices, Faculty of Social Science and Solvay Business School, Free University of Brussels
The key messages from this session can be found on the S4D4C website.
