BEIJING DECLARATION

The 14 th General Meeting and 9 th General Conference of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and the 8 th General Assembly of the Third World Network of Scientific Organization (TWNSO) have been successfully convened in Beijing, P.R.China during 16 – 19 October 2003.

We, the participants of the meeting focusing on the subject of Science for Development, aiming at science, democracy, openness, participation, cooperation and foresightedness, and further exploring the issues on the promotion of scientific and social development in the Third World, and South-South scientific cooperation,

CONSIDERING THAT

•  Science and Technology is the paramount driving force to the development of human civilization. The huge productivity force and abundant civilized achievements created by mankind find their benefits chiefly in the scientific discovering, technology innovation and the continuous progress of engineering technology, as well as in the extensive application of science and technology in the productive practice and social life of mankind. Today, we, fully realizing that science and technology (S&T) is just like “a sword with two sharp edges”, should take even greater responsibilities in the application of scientific research results for the benefits of human beings, peace and prosperity and the sustainable development of human society.

•  The scientific achievements of mankind result from the contributions made by every nation of the World. The Third World countries, with their historical and cultural civilizations of long-standing, not only have the longest tradition of S&T development but also have made their precious contributions to the development of modern S&T, remarkably in the training of a large amount of eminent S&T experts. However, these developing countries still lag far behind in their level of S&T development compared with the developed countries, and face severe challenges on such issues as the optimization of economic structures, rational utilization of resources, protection of ecosystem services and natural resources, upgrading the quality of life for all people, through elimination of poverty, and promotion of coordinated social development.

•  Science is the cause of all mankind and is without borders. The rights of acquiring and applying S&T research results should be equal for all countries; both developing and developed.

•  The primary task of the future S&T development should lie in its better service for the promotion of social development, and providing solutions in addressing important problems facing human society. Constant and systematic support from the government should remain a fundamental ethic for all governments when taking basic science research and scientific education into consideration, as the life-blood for sustainable development in society.

HERBY DECLARE THAT

•  It is crucial, through S&T development, to promote social equity, to reduce the number of people in poverty, and increase healthcare and living quality of humankind.

•  It is crucial, through S&T development, to protect ecosystem services of clean air, soil, and water and natural resources of the Earth, promote sustainable development of human society, and share S&T achievements with our descendents.

•  It is essential for the scientific community to strengthen its cooperation with all walks of society, to establish a brand new relationship between science and society, to exert to the full the advantages of every social resource, to work out targets for sustainable development, to gradually narrow the gap between the developing countries and the developed ones in technology transfer.

•  It is requisite for every nation to attach great importance to and hence speed up the development of science, technology and education, which is the most important way-out for the developing countries to become prosperous and strong.

•  It is necessary for every nation to further promote international cooperation and exchanges in science and technology, seeking win-win solutions for common development; and to encourage study and research on the common problems that exist in the developing countries in order to actively promote the development of both basic and applied science in these countries.

AND RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING

•  TWAS and TWNSO promote S&T cooperation and exchange between developing countries and developed countries, to match the cooperation exemplified by developing countries, in every possible way particularly through the effective and existing international organizations and frameworks. This will naturally be of benefit for the mutual communication and understanding between South-South and South-North, and for peace, development and stability of the World.

•  TWAS and TWNSO actively explore the possibility of inaugurating a framework mode for creating a science foundation and targeting management decisions for development in an effort to carry out coordinated research and seek possible solutions to priority problems facing the developing countries in their course of development, such as protection of eco-environment, precaution and treatment of disease, safety of food and potable water, reduction and prevention of disaster, and establishment of renewable energy, etc.

•  TWAS and TWNSO attach more importance to the development of human resources in developing countries, the active promotion of compulsory and higher education in developing countries, opening series of science education curriculums, increasing the scientific literacy of the population, and their awareness and understanding of science.

•  TWAS and TWNSO attach attention to the study and research on ethics of science, technology and engineering to address concerns by the international community. Attention should be paid to the differences of various nations in social development and cultural heritage in order to understand the unavoidable differences, even contradiction, among countries on some specific issues. In accordance with the principles of Science and Technology is for the Benefit of Humankind, TWAS and TWNSO actively propose and hence push the international community to seek for equality, fairness and justice through “negotiation” on the basis of mutual respect, and set up a new order of honoring international commitments and fulfilling social obligations.

•  TWAS and TWNSO carry out positive measures to protect the legal rights of developing countries in their sharing of products out S&T innovation. Prevention should be made against illegal and unfair competition taken by any developed country to promote full equity for intellectual property rights, including cultural artifacts and biodiversity, patents, and the sharing of economic rewards from science and technology enterprises in developing nations. While, efforts be made by developing countries to increase their awareness of intellectual property rights and carry out some effective measures to protect themselves.

•  TWAS and TWNSO impress upon government of the developing countries to develop actively science and technology which is fit for their status quo, increase gradually their investments in R&D, and constantly enhance their proprietary innovative capability in science and technology.

TWAS has celebrated its 20 th anniversary. Being an international organization engaging in the development of science and technology, TWAS has witnessed the efforts made by the developing countries, over the past 20 years, to develop science and technology. It has won extensive trust among the large number of developing countries through its remarkable and effective work. It is within our sincere expectation that TWAS will, in the 21 st century, be equipped with a firm belief and consolidarity to overcome various difficulties in its development, together with other scientific communities, so that it will be able to create better development environment and make greater contributions to the world S&T endeavors and its professionals as well.