Science Diplomacy Worldwide

The AAAS Center for Science Diplomacy helped advance international collaboration in 2013 by reaching out to scientists and policymakers SCIENCE worldwide. Projects ranged from coordinating new monitoring of DIPLOMACY a volcano in North Korea, to helping to convene experts from the WORLDWIDE developing world to work together on resource issues requiring science-based solutions. Science diplomacy initiated by AAAS fostered global progress in many areas and improved quality of life, while encouraging good relations between countries.

SCIENCE & DIPLOMACY IMPACTS PEPFAR halted a precipitous plunge in Recent history abounds with little- life expectancy in Africa that came with the known examples of international science HIV/AIDS epidemic. It also established solid collaborations that have achieved great partnerships with African countries, building goals, not the least of which is improved and strengthening U.S. ties in that region. relations, mutual trust, and peaceful, Science & Diplomacy, which was launched productive cooperation between countries. with support from the Golden Family One such example is the U.S. President’s Foundation, brings expert perspectives on Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), issues involving science and international which was described in a 2013 issue relations to policy analysts, government of Science & Diplomacy, the quarterly o™cials, scientists, and educators. According publication of the AAAS Center for Science to a recent survey, 18% of readers work Diplomacy. Author Harold Varmus, director for a government, 45% are in academia, of the National Cancer Institute and winner and 17% work for a think tank or nonproœt of the Nobel Prize, pointed out that by 2012, organization. In 2013, articles ranged from a PEPFAR had through bilateral agreements discussion about engaging with North Korea between the U.S. and African countries through protection of its biodiversity, to an Maps reflecting the global distribution of supplied about 5 million patients in the examination of the value of collaboration working physicians (leŸ) developing world with antiretroviral drugs— with Iran in the medical and health sciences. HIV infections (middle), up from 1.7 million in 2008—while protecting and AIDS-related deaths (right) in 2002-2004 nearly a million infants from maternally SCIENCE ENGAGEMENT WITH show the disease’s transmitted HIV, as well as testing nearly 50 NORTH KOREA outsized burden compared to available million people for infection and distributing The AAAS Center for Science Diplomacy medical care. prevention information and condoms. helped launch an unprecedented scientiœc OPPOSITE WORLDMAPPER; THIS PAGE ©¤¥¦§ KOSIMA WEBER LIU ©EEMPª LIU WEBER KOSIMA ©¤¥¦§ PAGE THIS WORLDMAPPER; OPPOSITE

10 collaboration in 2013, bringing American and the Pyongyang International Information Above leŸ, researchers British scientiœc resources to North Korea for Center on New Technology and Economy, confer beside one of six stations built on Mount cooperative seismological research and rock a nongovernmental organization. The Paektu to monitor seismic sampling on North Korea’s sacred volcano project was arranged by the Environmental activity.

Mount Paektu. Until the collaboration began, Education Media Project, a non-proœt Above right, Korean data from the North Korean side of the focused on ecosystem management. Earthquake Bureau mountain, which has two-thirds of its mass The funding for the construction and geologist Kim Ju Song (leŸ), Clive Oppenheimer, in China, was unavailable. maintenance of œeld stations to house and Kayla Iacovino “This e®ort represents an exciting six seismometers, as well as other explore a Mount Paektu demonstration of active cooperation logistics, came from the Richard Lounsbery dried lava creek. between Western and North Korean Foundation in Washington, D.C. British scientists in the œelds of volcanology and organizations, including the Royal Society, seismology, and so far it appears to be were also instrumental in bringing the working very well,” said Norman Neureiter, project to fruition. senior advisor to the AAAS Center for Science Diplomacy. “It has the potential of SUPPORTING SCIENCE THROUGH leading to a program of extended scientiœc DIPLOMACY cooperation with North Korea.” Vaughan Turekian, director of the AAAS Two years in the making, the research Center for Science Diplomacy, addressed collaboration will not only provide new scientists and policy experts from the monitoring data and scientiœc insight to developing world at a 2013 workshop held volcanologists around the world, it will also at The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). help to predict and quantify the volcano’s Advocating smaller and developing nations’ future eruptions. Mount Paektu last erupted increased involvement in science diplomacy, about a thousand years ago, spewing ash Turekian pointed out that even nations just over more than 33,000 square kilometers beginning to build their scientiœc strength of northeast China and Korea. A decade could use science diplomacy as a means ago, small tremors at the volcano motivated of increased and improved interaction with Chinese and Korean authorities to increase other countries. their monitoring. At the event, which was part of a science One of the œrst scientiœc collaborations diplomacy program organized by AAAS and between the Democratic People’s Republic TWAS, Turekian spoke of the event’s value of Korea (DPRK) and the West, the as a means of advancing science globally monitoring arrangement began in 2011 by bringing together experts from the

OPPOSITE WORLDMAPPER; THIS PAGE ©¤¥¦§ KOSIMA WEBER LIU ©EEMPª LIU WEBER KOSIMA ©¤¥¦§ PAGE THIS WORLDMAPPER; OPPOSITE with the support of AAAS, at the request of developing and the developed worlds.

11 Above leŸ, at the World The AAAS/TWAS science diplomacy program all the participants in a collaboration are full Science Forum, Science “is connecting science and diplomacy to partners, that they focus on issues of local Editor-in-Chief Marcia McNutt described an two organizations that have access to a very importance, that they œnd ways to deal with urgent need for better broad scientiœc community,” Turekian said. resource disparities among the countries approaches to the sus- represented, and that they agree upon tainable management of resources. WORLD SCIENCE FORUM, RIO DE JANEIRO standards and values regarding scientiœc Addiction researchers in the United States ethics, intellectual property, and publication Above right, an increase in U.S. shale gas explora- and China have explored more e®ective or access issues. tion has had global im- local approaches to addiction treatment Science Editor-in-Chief Marcia NcNutt also pacts, speakers said at a using traditional Chinese medicine and presented at the international event. forum sponsored by Hita- chi, Ltd. and co-organized “Western” medicine. U.S. scientists have by AAAS and the Brook- traveled to Iran for the country’s œrst HIV/ U.S.±POLISH SCIENCE COLLABORATIONS ings Institution. Shown AIDS conference, where they mapped out AAAS and the Foundation for Polish Science are (l-r): Jonathan Fink, Portland State Univer- promising areas for collaboration. At a launched a new award in 2013 honoring sity; Gretchen Goldman, workshop in Uganda, researchers from the scientists “who have made exceptional Center for Science and United States, the United Kingdom, and research achievements as a result of Polish- Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists; several African countries brainstormed American scientiœc cooperation.” The Vaughan Turekian, AAAS; strategies to improve the treatment of award recognizes a long history of U.S.- and Sean J. O’Brien, state representative for Ohio’s mental, neurological, and substance-use Polish science collaboration across many 63rd district. disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa. disciplines, said AAAS Chief International These examples illustrate health science O™cer Turekian, who added: “As we diplomacy bringing nations together to move forward, the initiative will help us to address local and regional health challenges identify areas where international research while also encouraging positive international cooperation can both advance science and relations, said Alan I. Leshner, CEO of AAAS, build closer societal relationships.” at the 2013 World Science Forum in Rio de Poland’s primary scientiœc strengths, Janeiro. “Science diplomacy is now a force according to a 2013 report by the European in global health, science policy, and foreign Commission, encompass food, agriculture policy,” he said. and œsheries; energy; the environment; The examples also revealed some information and communication principles key to successful science technologies; and certain areas of materials diplomacy, Leshner said in a roundtable science. discussion at the forum, which attracted participants from more than 100 countries.

Those principles include making sure that SCHAFFER CARLA RIGHT: LACERDA; CRISTINA LEFT:

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