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Dear Fellows,
As we embark on 2025, the World Academy of Art and Science continues to drive meaningful dialogue and action across global platforms. From the cutting-edge discussions at CES 2025—where WAAS led high-level panels on AI and digital health—to the launch of Force for Good’s latest report on technology and sustainability, this edition of the WAAS Newsletter showcases our commitment to shaping a better future.
We highlight groundbreaking initiatives, including the revitalization of the World University Consortium, the 7th International Future Education Conference in Istanbul, and efforts to equip parliamentarians with mediation skills for conflict resolution. Additionally, we reflect on the legacy of esteemed Fellows who dedicated their lives to knowledge and peace.
The newsletter below reinforces our mission to bridge science, policy, academia and human security for a better, more peaceful world. We welcome your suggestions, feedback and participation.
Sincerely,
Garry Jacobs
President, WAAS
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Event Reportback
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CES 2025
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Education and AI Panel (from left): Garry Jacobs, President, WAAS; Amanda Ellis, Executive Director, ASU Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability & Innovation; Ralph Wolff, President, World University Consortium; Unique Morris-Hughes, Secretary of Labor Washington DC
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For the third year running, the theme of Human Security for All was adopted by the Consumer Technology Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where more than 140,000 tech enthusiasts gathered from around the world. WAAS hosted two high-level panel discussions: “How AI Can Close The $3 Trillion Education Gap” and “Digital Health: The Next Frontier in Tech-Driven Wellness.” Six WAAS Fellows were selected to judge the CES Innovation Awards, that honored 17 tech brands under the Human Security for All category. Watch here
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Digital Health Panel (from left): Ketan Patel, WAAS Trustee; Pedro Conceição, Director of the Human Development Report Office, UNDP; Nan-Wei Gong, CEO, FIGUR8; John Williams, President’s Cancer Panel
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Force for Good Report
WAAS research partner, Force For Good, launched its 2024 report “Technology Driving the Transition to a Superior Future” at CES 2025. The report demonstrates how technology can provide the means to create a sustainable and more secure world. Download the report
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Future Education Conference
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From left: Türker Kılıç, Dean of İstinye University School of Medicine, Garry Jacobs, WAAS President and Ralph Wolff, President of the World University Consortium
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WAAS, World University Consortium, Istinye University, Istanbul, UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition, Khan Academy and Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University collaborated in December 2024, to conduct the 7th International Future Education Conference — bringing together leading thinkers from a wide range of fields to give shape to a future education system fit for purpose in these challenging times. Read More
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UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Coalition Special session, at the 7th International Conference on Future Education
A thought provoking conversation was held during the Future Education Conference in Istanbul in December 2024 titled “Learning for Social Transformations, building on the Summit of the Future.” This special session followed the ambitions articulated in the concept note for the UNESCO-MOST BRIDGES Summit of the Future side event “From Idea to Action and Impact: mobilizing the outcomes of the Summit of the Future” and in the summary report produced from that side event. Watch here
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Relaunch of the World University Consortium (WUC)
Ralph Wolff, a WAAS Trustee, has been elected President of WUC and embarked on a program of revitalization. Fellows within the educational sector are encouraged to get in touch to explore possible collaborations and new projects. Visit the WUC website
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Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) — Building Trust and Peace
The Inter-Parliamentary Union, in cooperation with WAAS, organized a webinar in November 2024 to familiarize parliamentarians with practical mediation skills for bridging societal divides and promoting dialogue. Recognizing the critical role of parliamentarians in conflict prevention, the event supported them in leveraging their legislative and diplomatic roles to address social and political grievances that can lead to unrest. Watch the webinar
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4th Security, Science and Peace Conference
This annual conference is organized by Pugwash Croatia, a chapter of Pugwash Conferences and World Affairs, WAAS and the portal Ideje.hr. The conference deals with peace policies, connecting science with decision makers, responsible global governance, security policies and academic dialogue on sustainable world peace. The 4th in this conference series was held in Zagreb, Croatia in January 2025. Read more
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WAAS Talk Series
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Carbon Economy Panel (clockwise from top left): Walter Mérida, Associate Dean, Research & Industry Partnerships, University of British Columbia; Amanda Ellis, Executive Director, ASU Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability & Innovation; Frances Wall, Professor of Applied Mineralogy, Camborne School of Mines of the University of Exeter; Klaus S. Lackner, Founding Director, Center for Negative Carbon Emissions (CNCE); Matthew Green, Director, Center for Negative Carbon Emissions (CNCE)
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Next Theme to Focus on The Carbon Economy
WAAS Talks is an ongoing series of webinars that examine issues of central importance to global society. In October 2024 the theme was “Science for Human Security: Artificial Intelligence” and in December, “Science for Human Security: Measuring Sustainability.” On 20 February the theme will examine “The New Carbon Economy.” Register here.
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Navigating the AI Landscape: Perspectives from National Academies
In September 2024, the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) and WAAS organized a webinar to explore AI activities around national academies, and perspectives on how academies could utilize their unique position to shape the development and application of AI in ways that are human-centric, prioritise ethical standards, and promote the broader application of science and technology for societal benefit. It was moderated by Phoebe Koundouri, a WAAS Trustee. Watch here
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The Peace Offensive
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Signing the Peace Offensive: Garry Jacobs, President of WAAS (left) and Klaus Mainzer, President of EASA
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Peace Offensive Launched at Historic Meeting of the Two Largest Academies of Arts and Sciences
WAAS and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts have united their efforts for a global peace initiative. At the conference, held at Alma Mater Europa University in Slovenia, WAAS and EASA signed a joint resolution launching the project. At this historic occasion representatives of both academies focused on the pressing challenges of the modern world and have pledged to promote peaceful coexistence and human security through education, research, and technological advancement. Read more
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WAAS Fellows and members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts in Florence.
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WAAS and EASA Meet to Support the Global Peace Offensive
A follow-on meeting from the Peace Offensive agreement in Maribor, Slovenia in October 2024 took place over three days in early January at the History Department of Florence University. Attendees included: Zeffiro Ciuffoletti, University of Florence; Tanja Angleitner, Alma Mater Europaea University; Alberto Zucconi, WAAS Chair of the Board; Ugo Bardi, WAAS Fellow; Gian Luca Corradi and Edoardo Tabasso, University of Florence. The Peace Offensive initiative is being led within WAAS by Vice-President (Social Sciences and Humanities), Donato Kiniger-Passigli. Read more
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Webinar on Sustainable Future: Education, Artificial Intelligence and Peace
Held on 21 October 2024 as part of the WAAS Peace Offensive, the webinar was devoted to exploring the role that education and research can play in advancing peace and human security, with special emphasis on the potential of AI. This hybrid event was organized in cooperation with the European Academy of Sciences and Arts at Alma Mater Europaea University (AMEU). Watch here
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Meeting at Arizona State University
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WAAS Fellows (from left) Eden Mamut, Amanda Ellis, Peter Schlosser, Garry Jacobs
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Meeting at ASU to Discuss “Key Insights on Education for Planetary Futures”
On January 10, meetings were held at the ASU Global Futures Hub in Phoenix, Arizona, with WAAS Fellows Peter Schlosser, Amanda Ellis and Iveta Silova to discuss collaboration on G-Force, an ASU initiative with an international network of partners that focuses on “Key Insights on Education for Planetary Futures.”
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Summit of the Future Side Event at the UN
WAAS is a member of a consortium that organized a Summit of the Future Side Event at the UN on Sept 21, 2024. Garry Jacobs, WAAS President, delivered a presentation focused on the potential for a world-class, accessible, affordable, multilingual, self-paced interactive, AI-driven global delivery system for life-long higher education to address the needs of hundreds of millions of students who are presently denied accesses. Watch here
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SpellBee International Promotes Human Security to Millions of Indian School Children
The educational organization, run by Devakanni Subramanian, a WAAS Fellow, has extended the message of human security across schools in India, started under the HS4A campaign. More than one million brochures, reaching four million family members, have been distributed, with 50,000 students in 600 schools currently enrolled in human security programs. Read more
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WAAS DIGEST
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Books by Members
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Clayfulness. Shape The Silence of Your Mind — Samuel Lopez-Lago
Ontology of Language —Rafael Echeverria
The Death of Death —Jose Cordeiro
Capital Redefined —SA Hamed Hosseini
Integral Investing: From Profit to Prosperity —Mariana Bozesan
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Member Activities
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ARTICLE
Gunter Pauli Talks About His ‘Blue Economy’
A concept coined by Pauli aims to shift industries from a resource-intensive model to one that mimics natural ecosystems, emphasizing sustainability, innovation, and minimal waste.
DECEMBER, 2024 / NEW YORK
Amanda Ellis Speaks at 2024 Foreign Press Awards Ceremony
The Awards celebrated the courage, dedication, and excellence of foreign correspondents and highlighted the essential role of journalism in safeguarding democracy.
23-30 MAY, 2025 / ITALY
Radical Visions: Celebrating the Lives of David Bohm & David Peat
A week-long celebration dedicated to examining the legacy of these two physicists, with the sharing of personal stories and anecdotes. David Peat, who passed away in 2017 was a former Fellow of WAAS.
SEPTEMBER, 2025 / ONLINE
Sergio Scapagnini Hosts Online Workshop For School Cinema International Film Festival For Kids
Sergio Scapagnini, a WAAS Fellow, philanthropist and filmmaker, held an online workshop for thiosands of children around the world where he conveyed the eight pillars of human security through a reading of his children’s book “The Story of Lala.”
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Upcoming Events
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13-17 MARCH, 2025
Special event on Global Turbulence at Global Baku Forum
SEPTEMBER 2025
World Conference on Science and Art for Sustainability, Belgrade
Hosted by the Serbian Academy of Science and Arts (SASA) and co-hosted by the Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions (ANSO), and the United Nations Education, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
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From The Archives
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How Google AI is Breathing Life Into Decades-Old WAAS Documents
Newly-released AI software from Google is being used to analyze, contextualize and create engaging audio files from scanned WAAS archive material sourced at Yale University. Listen to the result of correspondence from the 1960s brought to life by AI.
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In Memoriam
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Federico Mayor (1934-2024)
Scientist, scholar, politician, diplomat and poet, Federico Mayor was a Renaissance Man who lived an inspired life in service to humanity. He was one of the World Academy’s longest serving Fellows from his early days as Director General of UNESCO (1987-1999) right up to his passing on December 19, 2024 as Head of the Foundation for the Culture of Peace and Honorary President of the World University Consortium. A biochemist by education and early profession, he served as member of the Spanish Parliament, Adviser to the Spanish President, and Member of the European Parliament before joining UNESCO. Federico’s aspirations and values were closely aligned with those of WAAS. He dedicated his later years to promoting peace, global education and scientific policies for a better world.
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Share Your News With Us
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We are keen to hear more about your current work and how we can enhance your engagement with the work of the World Academy in a manner that is supportive and complementary to your work. Are there conferences you’ve attended or are planning? Have you recently published a book, delivered a keynote, or launched an initiative that aligns with the mission of WAAS?
We would be delighted to highlight such contributions in our WAAS newsletter, ensuring they reach fellow members who share your interests.
Submit your news through this Google Form.
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