A Journal on ‘Science Diplomacy Perspectives’ launched by Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Islamic Republic of Pakistan (MoFA) launched a journal on ‘Science Diplomacy Perspectives’ on 15 March 2022 to promote Science Diplomacy. The Journal was jointly inaugurated by the Foreign Secretary H.E. Mr. Sohail Mahmood, Coordinator General of COMSTECH Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, President ECO Science Foundation Prof. Dr. Manzoor Hussain Soomro, the former Foreign Secretary Mr. Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry and the Director General of Science Diplomacy Science Division of MoFA, Mr. Muhammad Kamran Akhtar.

In his inaugural speech the Foreign Secretary Mr. Sohail Mahmood congratulated the MoFA team for taking this initiative and also congratulated the Authors and the Editorial Team of the Journal. The Foreign Secretary spoke about the importance of timing of launching the journal and said that the issue came at a time when the world was gradually recovering from Covid-19 Pandemic. The Recovery came on the back of extraordinary scientific sociotechnical achievements in developing vaccines and devising emergency health measures, he added. Mr. Mahmood highlighted the significance of science diplomacy in helping to address global challenges and bridging the gap between innovation and policy community. He announced that the Journal was an effort to provide inter-disciplinary stakeholders such as scientists and diplomats a platform to write on themes related to science diplomacy. He further said that the Scientists and diplomats work at the Interference of innovation and Negotiation which a path way for societal Programme and this interdisciplinary engagement can provide truly sustainable solutions for Global Challenges such as Food security and Climate Change.

In his comments, Director General (Science Diplomacy) Muhammad Kamran Akhtar thanked the authors for their contributions and taking the challenge of looking beyond conventional boundaries to offer innovative and multi-sectoral inputs. The Journal would provide thought leadership to the country’s science diplomacy efforts and also be a source of rendering science advice on technology-related issues. He said that by launching the journal

In his remarks, Coordinator General COMSTECH Prof. Dr. Iqbal Choudhary welcomed the pioneering effort to initiate a publication platform on the subject of science diplomacy. He informed that COMSTECH was playing a significant role as a science diplomacy platform to improve the status of science in the Muslim World.

The inaugural issue of Science Diplomacy Perspectives features 17 articles from researchers, diplomats and policy practitioners on different cutting-edge themes including scope and regulatory perspectives of new and emerging technologies, science popularization, and multilateral governance of science. COMSTECH and the Particle Team at LUMS facilitated the Ministry with the editorial and peer review process.

Science Diplomacy Perspectives would be regularly published and provide a permanent platform for scholars and practitioners to submit articles on science diplomacy related themes.