WAAS Digest — July 2024

SHARE THIS STORY: LinkedIn / Facebook / X

Celebrating 64 Years of Innovation at the WAAS General Assembly

The WAAS@64 International Conference and General Assembly was held online on May 15 & 16 and June 26 & 27, 2024. A principle objective of the conference was to provide opportunities for members to explore challenging questions and high-priority areas for future WAAS programming and to discuss strategies and organizational enhancements to support the continued expansion of the Academy’s work.

Twenty-four panel discussions and a General Assembly were held, involving more than 120 speakers and 200 participants from inside and outside WAAS. Recordings of the panel discussions are available on the WAAS website. The views presented at WAAS@64 will help the Academy create a framework for future programs and activities in support of the UN SDGs, peace and Human Security for All. Please send your thoughts, insights or suggestions to [email protected]

EVENTS IN REVIEW

BSUN 2024 Congress: Summit of the Future for the Black Sea Region

The Black Sea Congress and 16^th Conference of Rectors took place at Istanbul University on July 11-12. The Black Sea Universities Network (BSUN) is the largest platform for inter-university cooperation in the region involving 100+ Universities from eleven Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) member states. In collaboration with WAAS and the Istanbul University, BSUN co-organized this event to address the relevance of the upcoming UN Summit of the Future to the region.

Eden Mamut, BSUN Secretary General (F-WAAS) invited Emil Constantinescu, Garry Jacobs, Donato Kiniger-Passigli, Phoebe Koundouri, Janani Ramanathan, Aleksander Zidanšek, Moneef Zou’bi and Alberto Zucconi to address issues related to peace, human security, sustainable development, science diplomacy, technology, education, and AI. The results of the Congress will be formulated in a final Declaration of the Rectors of BSUN Member.

Equipping Parliamentarians for Peace Building and Conflict Prevention

The 148^th InterParliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly was held in Geneva, Switzerland from 23-27 March 2024. Hundreds of parliamentarians from around the world attended the Assembly to address the theme: “Parliamentary Diplomacy: Building Bridges For Peace and Understanding.” Members of the HS4A campaign and the WAAS hosted a discussion around the theme: “Human Security: Equipping Parliamentarians for Peace Building and Conflict Prevention.”

Pugwash Conference, Croatia

The third “Security, Science and Peace Conference” was organized by WAAS and Pugwash Croatia on January 12, 2024, in Zagreb, Croatia in hybrid mode. The conference featured thematic panels on global transformative leadership, sustainable peace, human security, Europe’s role in global multipolarity, the new world economic and security order, emerging global powers, nuclear security, and science scientific diplomacy.

WAAS Fellows Ivo Šlaus, Ana Jerković and Zvonimir Šikić were among the Conference Directors, and the event included presentations by Garry Jacobs, Paolo Cotta Ramusino and Aleksander Zidanšek.

Newly Launched Series “WAAS Dialogues” Addresses Sustainable Futures

The first episode in the newly launched series of WAAS Dialogues was organized on the topic of Sustainable Futures on June 13, 2024. This event introduced out-of-the-box thinking on significant contemporary opportunities and threats that could lead to action towards exciting alternative futures encompassing sustainability and high quality of life building on the Human Security for All agenda. Discussions were focused on new research topics, approaches and methodologies in artificial intelligence with possible breakthroughs in human security.

Alternative approaches to preventing wars and the use of weapons of mass destruction were explored, including Stop All Wars Now approach, which could contribute significantly to human security for all. Co-organized by Ivo Šlaus and Aleksander Zidanšek, this event featured several members from the Academy and its network, with presentations by Phoebe Koundouri, Uroš Cvelbar, Ana Jerković, Thomas Reuter, Jon Miller, Kenneth M. Stokes, Donato Kiniger-Passigli, Garry Jacobs and Saulo José Casali Bahia.

WAAS Addresses Young Minds at Global Minded Annual Conference

In June, WAAS was invited to attend the Global Minded Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado, organized by Carol Carter, to discuss how human security, AI and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) can help build a brighter, more resilient future for students. Panelists representing Egypt, USA, Portugal, and Montenegro delivered two interactive discussions to young attendees: “STEAM and the Future of Education: Integrating Science, Technology, Arts and Values” and “Human Security For All: How Technology and AI are Influencing the Future of Work.”

WAAS panelists included Walt Stinson, Ash Pachauri, Mila Popovich, Fadwa El Guindi and Grant Schreiber.

GET INVOLVED

Future WAAS Programs and Projects

During the WAAS@64 conference six high potential programs and more than 30 current and prospective projects were presented which are under various stages of conception, development and implementation. Click here for an overview. The future success of WAAS hinges on the strategic implementation of these six future programs, which are not only crucial for the organization’s growth but also hold significant importance for addressing global challenges and fostering positive change on a larger scale. 

The six programs are:

– The Human Security Campaign

– Financing Sustainable Development Gaps

– Transforming Education & Learning

– Science for Human Security & Sustainable Development

– AI & Virtual Reality Learning
– Global Citizenship Participation

If you would like to participate in any of these six programs, have any suggestions, or wish to support us in any way, please contact us at [email protected]

VOICES FOR CHANGE

WAAS Teams Up With The Beautiful Truth to Interview Fellows on Purpose-Driven Stories

At CEO Summit Leaders on Purpose last year in New York, London-based filmmakers The Beautiful Truth interviewed WAAS and HS4A attendees as part of their “Perspectives” series. They each reflected on their role in creating meaningful impact in the world. WAAS is in discussion with this unique group of filmmakers to help us capture stories from WAAS Fellows around the world. Please contact us if you’d like to be considered for an interview, with a motivation on how your thought leadership can be turned into action: [email protected]   

Watch the interviews here:

• Walt Stinson: “Can business help solve the world’s most pressing problems?”

• Chaeli Mycroft: “When people feel they add value to society, powerful things can happen.”

• Ketan Patel: “What is your purpose in life, beyond simply surviving the day?”

• Charles Oppenheimer: “My grandfather said that we must unite, or we will perish.”

YOUTH AND EDUCATION

SpellBee International Strengthens HS4A Initiative in Education

With a goal of reaching 1 million students, SpellBee International has already distributed 500,000 Human Security-themed brochures to students and more than 5,000 Indian schools. These brochures provide a comprehensive overview of the HS4A initiative, inspiring schools to incorporate the activities into their curriculum. The extensive network and strategic outreach efforts aim to make a substantial impact on young minds globally. A pivotal aspect of the HS4A initiative is the involvement of educators and teachers.

On July 20, 2024, a council meeting was held, attended by 397 participants. The keynote speaker, Garry Jacobs, received an overwhelming response, followed by a presentation from the CEO of SpellBee International on integrating the HS4A fluency program into schools. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Art, Science, and Peace: The Proposed “World Man Center” Project on Cyprus in the 1960s

This unique project was proposed in the 1960s and envisioned as an artwork containing works of art, enclosed by a work of art—designed by WAAS Fellow R. Buckminster Fuller. WAAS was proposed by the President of Cyprus as the managing trustee of the project, along with prominent Fellows.

GLOBAL COLLABORATION

EHC-WAAS Program of Sciences for Sustainable Development

The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2024 to 2033 as the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD) with the aim of leveraging the power of science to promote sustainable development.

On April 16, 2024, the Earth-Humanity Coalition (EHC) was founded as an association of global, regional, and national scientific organizations with the task to prepare and implement, in close cooperation with UNESCO, various programs within the overall IDSSD Program. The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), The Club of Rome (CoR) and WAAS are among the founding Member of EHC.

One of these programs is the EHC-WAAS Program of Sciences for Sustainable Development. It includes two series of webinars, five world conferences, a number of journal articles and reports, and four platforms in science and technology for cooperation between the Global North and the Global South.

The WAAS Talks on Science for Human Security: Natural Geoengineering Methods for Cooling the Planet, an online event within the EHC-WAAS Program of Sciences for Sustainable Development was held on Feb 28, 2024. This webinar explored sustainable alternatives or “natural geoengineering methods” that restore the ecosystem while meeting human needs.