UNESCO celebrates 2016 World Science Day at Tehran University

On 10 November 2016 UNESCO, in partnership with the Iranian Association for the Popularization of Sciences and the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, held a gathering at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Tehran to mark the 2016 World Science Day for Peace and Development, AVA Diplomatic reports.

The theme for this year was “Celebrating Science Centers and Science Museums.”  A large group of scholars, government officials, students, representatives of embassies, and individuals active in popularizing sciences attended the event, which focused on the importance of the popularization of sciences.

Dr. Akram Ghadimi, Head of the Iranian Association for the Popularization of Sciences opened the event by saying that “any activity that educates the public on sciences and strengthens people’s faith in sciences is referred to as popularization of sciences”. She reviewed how the popularization of sciences can bridge gaps between people and promote advances in sciences.

Dr. Mostafa Moein, former Minister of Science and current Head of the Group of Activists for Popularizing Sciences, reviewed the process that started in the early 1990s and led to the designation by UNESCO of 10 November as the World Science Day for Peace and Development. He emphasized the need for strong policies to enable the popularization of sciences at different levels of society.

Deputy Minister of Science in Research Affairs, Dr Vahid Ahmadi, referred to new global approaches in education and research, and highlighted the need to adopt policies to encourage youth to pursue science and research.

Dr. Sadollah Nasiri-Gheidari, Secretary General of Iran National Commission for UNESCO, stressed the important role of science for peace and sustainable development.

Ms. Niloofar Sadeghi of the UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office read out the message of UNESCO’s Director-General, Ms. Irina Bokova, on the occasion of World Science Day 2016. “Science stands at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the Sendai Framework for Action, and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. These agreements embody a new vision for prosperity, peace and the planet, to allow every society to create and share knowledge, to nurture every source of innovation and creativity, to craft a more inclusive, sustainable and just path to the future. Taking this forward calls for an ever greater expansion of science and for tighter linkages between science and society”, she said.

The final speaker was Prof. Reza Davari-Ardakani, Chair of Iran Academy of Sciences. He emphasized the important role of scientists and their responsibility in the modern world.

In 2001, UNESCO established the World Science Day for Peace and Development in order to develop bridges between science and society. The aim of this day is to ensure that citizens are kept informed of developments in science, while underscoring the role scientists play in broadening our understanding of the remarkable, fragile planet we call home and in making our societies more sustainable.