The COVID-19 pandemic, which is going on for more than a year now, has costed too many lives, and disrupted even more.
Without the results produced for decades, and even centuries, by basic, curiosity-driven scientific research, however, the global situation would have been much worse.
Without basic sciences, how would we know that infection is caused by a virus, what does that virus look like, what are its genetic sequence and variations? We could go on with a long list: testing, treatments, vaccines, epidemiological modeling, and even high-speed, long-distance communications – in short, everything that helps us fight the pandemic and its consequences – are all rooted in basic sciences.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a reminder (so stark and brutal that we would prefer to have been spared) of our dependence on basic science to ensure balanced, sustainable, and inclusive development of the planet.
The International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development 2022 will put the spotlight on the links between the basic sciences and the Sustainable Development Goals. It will be a key moment of mobilization to convince economic and political leaders, as well as the general public, of their importance.
Click on the image to see the infographics about COVID-19 and basic sciences
Agenda 2030, adopted in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly, is an integrated vision for the sustainable development of all the world’s populations. It is articulated into 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) towards which we must collectively strive. Several of these SDGs are explicitly linked to scientific advances:
But in fact all SDGs require the input of science and technology.
In November 2019, during its 40th session, the General Conference of UNESCO adopted a resolution recommending that 2022 should be proclaimed the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development by the UN General Assembly.
Read the resolution.
We have the pleasure to announce you that we received recently the very positive message from the Honduras Government:
“Dear Maurizio Bona and Michel Spiro,
….You can inform your partners that Honduras has taken the decision to bring the resolution for the proclamation of the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development in 2022 in the 76th session of the General Assembly…”
Yolannie Cerrato Corrales, Counsellor, Deputy Permanent Representative
This should allow us to plan now an Opening ceremony in Summer 2022 (July 1st) in Paris at UNESCO and a closing ceremony at CERN about one year later and to plan events in between.
A webinar series for ‘beginner’ researchers, masters and doctoral students worldwide is currently being organized by the International Union for Vacuum Science, Technique, and Applications (IUVSTA).
