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ANNUAL REPORT2019 THE WORLD ACADEMY OF SCIENCES for the advancement of science in developing countries ANNUAL REPORT2019 THE WORLD ACADEMY OF SCIENCES for the advancement of science in developing countries With man’s recent mastery of science and technology there is no physical reason left for the existence of hunger and want for any part of the human race. Abdus Salam, Nobel Prize in Physics, Founder of TWAS CONTENTS TWAS-Fayzah Al-Kharafi The TWAS Council 4 Award Winner for 2019 Antonethe Castaneda, second The TWAS mission 5 from right, on a technical visit with students to a biogas plant 2019: Striding toward a sustainable future in Guatemala. (Photo provided) by Mohamed H.A. Hassan, TWAS president 6 Cover photo: Shown are participants in an international A year of impact 8 workshop on cancer research, organised by TYAN, the TWAS Who we are: Fellows and Young Affiliates 10 Young Affiliates Network. TWAS partners 12 (Courtesy photo) PROGRAMMES AND ACTIVITIES Honouring scientific excellence 14 Education and training 16 Progress through research 18 Supporting science policy 20 Science diplomacy 22 Advancing women 24 Young scientists 26 Global academy networks 28 Regional partners 30 TWAS & Italy 32 A story to communicate 34 APPENDICES Financial report 2019 36 2019’s TWAS Fellows and Young Affiliates 42 Awards conferred in 2019 43 The TWAS secretariat 44 TWAS ANNUAL REPORT 2019 THE TWAS COUNCIL The TWAS Council, elected by members every four years, is responsible for supervising all Academy affairs. The current Council was elected in January 2019 to serve until the end of 2022. President Treasurer Mohamed H.A. Hassan (Sudan) Yang Wei (China) Immediate Past President Council Members Bai Chunli (China) Africa: Roseanne Diab (South Africa) Arab Region: Vice-Presidents Abdel Nasser Tawfik (Egypt) Africa: Central and South Asia: Moctar Toure (Senegal) Mohammad Shamsher Ali (Bangladesh) Arab Region: East and Southeast Asia: Mohammed Hamdan (Jordan) Bishal Nath Upreti (Nepal) Central and South Asia: Latin America and Caribbean: Dorairajan Balasubramanian (India) Mahabir Prashad Gupta (Panama) East and Southeast Asia: Khatijah M. Yusoff (Malaysia) Latin America and Caribbean: Ex-officio Council Member Manuel Limonta-Vidal (Cuba) Atish Dabholkar (India) Director, Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) Secretary General Luiz Davidovich (Brazil) 4 THE TWAS MISSION TWAS – The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries – works to advance sustainable prosperity through research, education, policy and diplomacy. TWAS was founded in 1983 by a distinguished group of scientists from the developing world, under the leadership of Abdus Salam, the Pakistani physicist and Nobel Prize winner. By the end of 2019, TWAS had about 1,270 elected Fellows from 104 countries; 14 of them are Nobel laureates. The Academy is based in Trieste, Italy, on the campus of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). It receives core funding from the government of Italy. The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency – Sida – provides essential programmatic funding. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) administers TWAS funds and personnel. Through more than three decades, TWAS’s mission has remained consistent: ∫ Recognize, support and promote excellence in scientific research in the developing world; ∫ Respond to the needs of young scientists in countries that are lagging in science and technology; ∫ Promote South-South and South-North cooperation in science, technology and innovation; ∫ Encourage scientific research and sharing of experiences in solving major problems facing developing countries. 5 TWAS ANNUAL REPORT 2019 2019: STRIDING TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE When TWAS was first founded in 1983, it was a modest operation, with a small office in Trieste, Italy, and only 42 Founding Members – 41 men and one woman. Now, as we reflect on its 36th year, TWAS These include the TWAS-Abdool Karim Award membership numbers 1,273 members, for women scientists in low-income African including 1096 men and 177 women. And countries; the TWAS-Samira Omar Innovation through its vast network of critical partners for Sustainability Award, dedicated to scientists and its reputation as an influential voice of from Least Developed Countries; and the by Mohamed developing world science, the Academy in 2019 Fayzah M. Al-Kharafi Award, an annual award H.A. Hassan showed many of the signs of advancement one that recognizes exceptional women scientists TWAS President could hope for. from science- and technology-lagging As we approach a new decade, the time is countries. now to focus on several important projects. One In the realm of science policy and science key challenge is to advance the diversity in our diplomacy, we are proud to be a leading force membership, our committees, and our award in the application of science, technology and winners. innovation to the Sustainable Development To achieve this task, TWAS has developed a Goals (SDGs). This is seen in several arenas. strategy to bolster our number of scientists who TWAS is currently participating in discussions are from low-income countries, as well as the with the U.N. Technology Bank for the LDCs, number who are women. Part of this strategy which in 2019 completed its first full year of has been our implementation of several awards work helping LDCs form technology policy that focus largely or exclusively on women agendas. The missions of both TWAS and the of science in countries where support for Technology Bank coincide strongly, and we scientific research is most critically needed. have been deeply involved with the Technology 6 2019: STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE TWAS Young Affiliate Bank since its earliest stages. I expect that our also has taken great strides at diversifying and Nudrat Aisha Akram, from longtime role as a supporter of LDCs will lead increasing its revenue sources through its 2019 the Government College University Faisalabad, us to continue our significant involvement in fundraising strategy. New agreements with Pakistan, is working the Bank’s work, which is crucial in LDCs like the Islamic Development Bank, Department of to improve Pakistani Timor-Leste to advancing the 2030 Sustainable Science and Technology of India, and European agriculture, making crops Development Agenda. Commission have led to programmes launched more resistant to environmental stress. It’s also worth noting that TYAN, the fast- in 2019 that are helping to advance sustainable growing TWAS Young Affiliates Network, is development and science diplomacy in the already an impressive force in building capacity global South. to support technological advancement for low- Further kind contributions made this year income countries. TYAN is bringing many of the include support from Fondazione Ernesto Illy, developing world’s most promising scientific the foundation of the major coffee producing minds together and holding numerous events company Illycaffe S.p.A. based in Trieste, which throughout Africa in 2019. This includes a will sponsor five conferences organized by successful workshop in Akure, Nigeria, on TWAS in the field of coffee research. Finally, big data and artificial intelligence in Africa, the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement co-organised by our friends with the Elsevier of Sciences (KFAS), now a long-standing Foundation, with an eye toward making TWAS partner, has doubled its contribution to progress on the SDGs. help fund our publications and dissemination Our many partners make this work possible, activities, as well as scientific capacity building and as always, the government of Italy and the for developing countries in the Arab Region. We Swedish International Development Agency owe a great deal of thanks to all of them for (Sida) remain our core contributors. TWAS their support. 7 TWAS ANNUAL REPORT 2019 A YEAR OF IMPACT For TWAS, 2019 was a year 1 of significant expansion in programmes, networks and the reach of its communication. The Academy continues to provide important opportunities to researchers from the developing world, and it is increasingly influential globally as a centre for science policy and diplomacy. Among the Academy’s central accomplishments: 2 1 New IsDB initiatives take wing Together with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), TWAS launched ambitious new grants and fellowships programmes, tailored for IsDB member countries. The goal is to advance research in the fields of sustainability science, with a special focus on the Bank’s Least Developed Member Countries, as well as scientific research needed to support the achievement of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. (For more on grants, see page 18. For more on fellowship opportunities, see page 16.) Nigeria, on big data. It’s already well-known that big data and artificial intelligence techniques, such as machine learning, are changing the 2 Major event brings big data science very nature of science, making it possible for to Africa scientists to glean deep insights from massive TWAS partnered with the TWAS Young Affiliates volumes of data. The event sought to answer the Network (TYAN), and co-organised with the question: How can these new techniques help Elsevier Foundation a special event in Akure, Africans? (For more on TYAN, see page 26) 8 A YEAR OF IMPACT A YEAR OF IMPACT 3 3 A distinguished speaker on science diplomacy Lassina Zerbo, the executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty