Impacts of the pandemic and lack of access to science are the focus of G-Stic

The expression “we will not leave anyone out” as a way of extending knowledge to all populations in the world was repeated several times by different participants in the first of the three days of the sixth edition of the annual meeting of the Global Community of Sustainable Technology and Innovation (G -Stic), which started today (13), at the ExpoMag Convention Center, in Rio de Janeiro. The theme of the meeting is For an equitable and sustainable future: innovative technological solutions for a better post-pandemic recovery. The quest for a better quality of life for all populations in the world is a premise of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations (UN), which defined 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 goals to, among other points, strengthen peace with more freedom, to ensure the eradication of poverty in all its forms and dimensions, as an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. “The 2030 agenda is the best global plan we have to rebuild a better world after the covid pandemic and eradicate hunger, poverty and promote a dignified life for all”, said the Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade. The conclusion of the debates this Monday is that the pandemic has reinforced the difference in access to science, technology and innovation between countries and, therefore, it is necessary to reinforce programs that advance in these areas. And that these issues will have to be discussed and faced by G-Stic members jointly. “It is not that nothing has been done in our country or in the world. There are many successful examples, but they come up against strong inequality, strong iniquity. One of the main inequalities is in science, technology and innovation. The pandemic showed this in an undeniable way, with the lack of health supplies that we could produce”, said Nísia. According to the minister, the development of vaccines against covid-19, which required a lot of research and the exchange of information on results obtained around the world, in Brazil the progress obtained was where there was a scientific and technological base guided by the health system. “There were cases of incorporation of technology in record time by Fiocruz in the agreement with AstraZeneca, and it was in the case of Instituto Butantan with CoronaVac”, she said. Still considering the impact of the pandemic and the lack of information, the minister made reference to structural racism, which prevents access to public policies, as well as the situation of the Yanomami in Brazil and indigenous peoples in other countries. “Science, technology and innovation are strategic elements for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and for sustainable development”, she noted. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Permanent Representative of Kenya to the UN, Macharia Kamau, pointed out that there is little content that speaks to Africans, a condition that is aggravated by political and social barriers, where countries restrict access to social networks. “We still have the big digital divide between rural and urban people, modern people, indigenous peoples, the rich and the poor, between the south and the north. We have to overcome this to be able to have the sustainable development goals,” she said. Kamau added that Brazil is in a position to act strategically to save the forests, and this needs to be shared. “This knowledge needs to cross the Atlantic and reach Africa”, she said, noting that infrastructure is a major challenge for African countries, as well as the quality of education that needs to be improved. For the Minister of Health, the government’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda is set, which is being resumed as a parameter of international commitment in favor of equity in all fields. According to Nísia, the agenda that defends sustainable development based on economic, social and environmental sustainability was affected not only by the pandemic, but also by governments that did not effectively assume the commitment. “The government of Brazil led by President Lula is returning with force to this agenda,” she said. In the view of UN undersecretary general, Amandeep Singh Gill, investment in science, technology and innovation intensifies the possibility of expanding the effects of the SDG targets. “When we have diversity in innovation in dynamic and inclusive ways then we create a better opportunity to scale up on the SDG targets,” he said. Held for the first time in the Americas, joint preparation of the meeting was carried out by Belgian research, technology and sustainable development organization Vito; the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz); the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa (CSIR); Guangzhou Energy Conversion Institute, China (GIEC); the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea (Gist); Nigeria’s National Center for Technology Management (Nacetem); Institute of Energy and Resources, India (Teri); and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). “G-Stic brings together a group of institutions with representations in all regions of the world. The entry of Brazil, in 2018, through Fiocruz, gave even greater relevance to the health issue, which is clear in the February schedule”, informed Fiocruz.

Agência Brasil