Leadership in Thought That Leads to Action

A global organization addressing humanity’s urgent challenges and emerging opportunities

560
Fellows

90
Countries

12
Programs

About The World Academy

WHO WE ARE

WAAS is an association of committed individuals drawn from diverse cultures, nationalities, occupations and intellectual pursuits conscious of the profound social consequences and policy implications of knowledge, and united by a common aspiration to address the urgent challenges and emerging opportunities confronting humanity. Today the Academy includes more than 560 elected Fellows from more than 90 nations collaborating with a global network of partner organizations founded on faith in the collective power of human aspiration and values.

HOW WE THINK

The Academy strives to evolve solutions to the world’s pressing challenges by transcending the limits of national self-interest, disciplinary perspectives and conventional thinking while integrating knowledge with universal values and social responsibility. The inclusion of Art in the title of the Academy is intended to foster a marriage of the objective and subjective dimensions of knowledge essential for cracking the ‘genetic code’ of consciousness and social evolution. Great Art and Science are supreme expressions of humanity & creative imagination.

Featured Projects

Global Turbulence
Exploring events related to the rising levels of global turbulence, highlighting the underlying factors and generating solutions.

The Global Peace Offensive
A proactive, dialogue-driven peace-building approach within civil society, spearheaded by the academic community.

Trauma Informed Care
Developing a trauma-informed, online chabot designed to provide reliable, scientifically grounded answers.

Upcoming Events

64th Sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies – Climate Change and Women’s Reproductive Health: Bridging Ground Evidence and Climate Arts Research

Join us on June 15, 2026, in Bonn for an SB64 side event exploring the intersection of climate change and women’s reproductive health. A community-led research, gender-responsive adaptation strategies, and the innovative integration of arts and science to translate critical health data into actionable climate policy.

21st Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems

Spain | 30 Aug to 3 Sep 2026 | Special session: “Sustainability Science and Technology for Human Security” focuses on sharing knowledge about methods, policies, and technologies that promote sustainable development by reducing reliance on natural resources and supporting a shift to a knowledge-based economy.

WAAS Talks on Science for Human Security: Future with Fusion Energy

Online | May 27, 2026. WAAS had initiated the Program of Sciences for Sustainable Development, which became a specific initiative of the Coalition. The WAAS Talks on Science for Humans Security: Future with Fusion Energy is the nineth webinar within the Program.

Cognitive empires, Colonising the mind

Online / May 20, 2026. A new form of power is emerging, one that operates not through territory or industry, but through the human mind itself. In this next phase of the Information Age, the primary strategic asset is no longer land, labour, or even data, it is cognition. As digital platforms evolve into AI-driven environments, they no longer simply distribute information; they shape perception in real time.

PLANETARY ARTS WEBINAR: Aesthetic Rights in the AI Era: Arts, Human Agency, and the Governance of Human Experience

Online Webinar / 15 May, 2026. Humanity is entering a civilizational transition in which artificial intelligence increasingly shapes not only information and economies, but also perception, identity, representation, and the conditions of human experience itself. This webinar introduces the concept of aesthetic rights as an emerging framework at the intersection of human dignity, arts and culture, AI governance, and democratic futures.

Stop Gambling Away Our Future: Seeing Existential Risks Through the Eyes of Youth

Online Webinar / 12 May, 2026. Global youth face the near-certainty of a polycrisis—from catastrophic warming to AI disruption—while aging leaders gamble with their future for short-term gain.

PLANETARY ARTS WEBINAR: Art as a Catalyst for Human Security and Planetary Peace

Online Webinar / 30 April, 2026. As global threats, conflict, and social fragmentation increase, traditional security and peace-building methods show clear limitations. This webinar will examine how artistic expression can transform approaches to human security and planetary peace. Art bridges emotional and ethical gaps often missed by conventional frameworks, offering new ways to build resilient communities and foster global empathy.

The Planetary Arts Movement – X-ART Launches in London with Global Call for “The World We Want” for Peace and the Planet

London / 10–11 April, 2026. This live Planetary Arts launch gathers artists, activists, and young leaders to harness creativity for climate action and peace, inspiring collective responsibility for a just and thriving planetary future.

Existential Risk Governance in Turbulent Times

Online Webinar / 23 March, 2026. The international landscape is fracturing under the weight of geoeconomic confrontation and the erosion of global norms. As unilateralism replaces diplomacy, the stability of our rules-based order hangs in the balance. In this webinar, we examine the shifting tides of geopolitical decision-making.

Its About People 2026

Hybrid / March 13-18. Answering Current Challenges in Society, Health and Technology. The 14thAnnual Conference of Europe’s Sciences and Arts Leaders and Scholars in Maribor, Slovenia, forms part of the WAAS Global Peace Offensive project

XIII Global Baku Forum

Baku / 15 March, 2026. The World Academy of Art and Science hosted a side event at GBF2026 that focused on the development of solutions under three interdependent themes: Peace, Prosperity and Freedom & Human Security. The event is a continuation of the 2025 Baku side event that explored the sources of global turbulence. We will seek to develop solutions to the issues identified last year.

WAAS Talks on Science for Human Security: Science Powering Green Innovation

ONLINE / MARCH 14. The present WAAS Talk on Science for Human Security addresses one of the most important topics in science for sustainable development: the science of powering green innovation. Additionally, this WAAS Talk also focuses on the opportunities of science to contribute to.