Previous Fora / 2007

• Invitation
• News
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• Steering Committee
• Organising Committee
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• Thematic sessions
• Special sessions
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• Opening Ceremony
• Science and Innovation as a Global Enterprise
• Investing in Future Generations
• Plenary Session II.
• The Role of Science, Technology and Innovation in the Achievement of The Millennium Development Goal
• Investing in Knowledge for Peace IPSO (Israeli-Palestine Science Organisation) Panel
• Plenary Session III. - Panel: Reviews of Representatives of Global Fora
• Investing in Knowledge for Sustainability I. - The Best Science-Based Governance Initiatives
• Investing in Knowledge for Sustainability II. - Paradigm Change for Sustainability - Sine Qua Nons
• Investing in Knowledge for Sustainability III. - Science-Based Politics towards a Paradigm Change
• Investing in Knowledge for Sustainability IV. - Moral Imperatives for Europe and the World
• Special Session on "Investing in STI: Challenges and Opportunities for Parliaments" I.
• Special Session on "Investing in STI: Challenges and Opportunities for Parliaments" II.
• Plenary Session IV.
• Parliament Plenary Session and Closing Plenary Session

HAS President Launches WSF

2007.11.08.

President Sólyom, Your Excellencies, Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen!

On behalf of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Organizing Committee, it is my great honour and pleasure to welcome all of you who have come to us in Budapest from more than 60 countries.

We are fortunate to have with us so many distinguished guests, state presidents, Nobel laureates, politicians, decision makers, lawmakers, lay people and artists with their varying cultural, economic and spiritual backgrounds. Thank you for coming, President Fischer, President Mesic, and President Papoulias.

This forum – which coincides with World Science Day (November 10) – aims to bring different people together to discuss the role of science in our everyday lives and to address the different questions that arise from application of the results of scientific activity.

Two years ago, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences organized the second forum of this type, which addressed Knowledge, Ethics and Responsibility. I am sure that many of you still remember it.

Today we are launching the third such forum, which embraces the topic "Investing in Knowledge, Investing in the Future." The Hungarian Nobel laureate Denis Gabor, who discovered holography, once said: "Futures cannot be predicted, they can be invented." He was right. And what he said is still valid.

Therefore, our aim is to invent the future, and in order to achieve this, we have to invest in knowledge.

Universities and research institutes have an essential role to play in building science and technology (S & T) capacities. Investments in science and technology are important for economic growth. In a world moving rapidly towards knowledge-based economies of the 21st century, capacity building in S&T is necessary everywhere. However, the need is greatest for the developing nations.

Science has the potential to change the world for the better, to improve the quality of our lives, and to make life for mankind satisfying and happy.

We have to acknowledge that human societies have benefited enormously from advances in science and technology in the last century. Yet, the global reality is that many of these advances fail to reach those who need them most.

At the same time, we have to keep in mind that the inappropriate use of science could result in negative effects, and could in fact create, for example, severe environmental damages.

Thus, our moral duty is to make sure that knowledge is used properly and to make every attempt to find solutions for our social, psychological, environmental, health, and economic problems. The main question is how do we achieve these goals?

The answer is that we should first learn as much as we can from each other. I think this is what this forum is all about.

Can a scientist, chemist, physicist, or geneticist live with his or her discovery without knowing if the molecule, fusion energy, or food he or she has genetically modified might be used or consumed to make trouble?

Can we live with the knowledge that scientific activity has widened the gap between rich and poor countries, between the North and the South? The question that arises, of course, is how to find good solutions.

First and foremost, we should familiarize ourselves with the opinions of different people from the North and the South. And I think that is precisely what this meeting is all about.

Therefore, I am really glad to be able to host the 3rd World Science Forum, which provides a platform for policymakers, for scientists, for those who make decisions in the economy, and for those who think about the future of humankind, not just to explore basic to applied science and technology for different countries in the world, but to also think about the possible environmental side-effects of the very rapid developments occurring in science and technology. First, we need to exchange opinions and ideas. This is what this meeting is all about.

Last, but not least, I'd like to mention that a meeting such as this is always a very good opportunity to visit another country or another city.

So, please, find some time to see our beautiful city, as well as to meet our friendly people. Try to make new friends. And with that, I wish you all a very successful discussion and meeting.

Thank you!