2020 AAAS-TWAS Course on Science Diplomacy

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Washington DC, USA, and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Trieste, Italy are seeking candidates to participate in the course on science diplomacy to be held in Trieste, Italy, from 10 to 13 July 2020.

Two trends are becoming clear in the early part of this century; the majority of challenges facing society have a transboundary, international, or global context; and science, technology and their applications underpin the cause or the cure to these challenges. As a result, science and technology are becoming ever more embedded into the foreign policies and international relations of nations. At the same time, cooperation in science and technology is increasingly benefiting from both the technical and political interactions between states. For example, establishing large-scale infrastructure projects in physics or astronomy requires both scientific exchange and diplomatic agreements. In addition to facilitating cooperative multilateral projects, science cooperation can play an important role in establishing trust and building bridges between nations, even in instances when political relations are strained.

Given the growing role of science and technology in international relations, AAAS and TWAS established a partnership in 2011 focused on science diplomacy training and engagement between the North and the South, including our annual summer course on science diplomacy.

This course will expose participants to key contemporary international policy issues relating to science, technology, environment and health, while providing an overview of how technical information has contributed to different policy developments and international structures. Another focus of the course will be a better understanding of, and appreciation for, the roles of governments, international organizations and the private sector in complex science-based issues, and how different governance structures are developed to address the needs and involvement of these different stakeholders.