Sujeewa Senasinghe attends 22nd session of Commission on Science and Technology for Development

Friday, 17 May 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Minster of Science, Technology and Research Sujeewa Senasinghe, along with a delegation is currently attending the 22nd session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) in Geneva, Switzerland. This session is held from 13 to 17 May.

The CSTD is a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the United Nations focal point for Science, Technology and Innovation for development.

It acts as a forum for strategic planning, sharing lessons learned and best practice, providing foresight about critical trends in STI in key sectors of the economy, the environment and society and drawing attention to emerging and disruptive technologies.

Every year, the commission has two priority themes. This year these are:

The impact of rapid technological change on sustainable development. The role of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in building resilient communities.

This session will review the progress made in the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). In addition, the commission will hear presentations on national Science, Technology and Innovation Policy reviews (STIP reviews).

This session is attended by ministers, Government officials, civil activists, representatives of business community, academia and international and regional organisations. Most member states are represented by high-level delegations.

The opening ceremony of the session was followed by a special segment devoted to ‘A Conversation with Great Minds’, a dialogue between eminent thinkers in the field of science and technology. The 22nd session will continue with high-level roundtables.