PLENARY SESSION 1

What's Going On in the World? Scientific Outreach of Global Organizations
Moderator: Peter Raven This session will examine programs that are building up scientific collaboration and communication in multiple regions of the world, discussing successful approaches and challenges yet to be met.

*Oringinally Scheduled* South-South-North: Directions for a More Peaceful World
Mohamed Hassan, Executive Director, Third World Academy of Sciences

The North-South divide in scientific and technological capacity has been a topic of deep concern for some time. However, there is another divide in scientific capacity that has become increasingly apparent in recent years: the divide that exists between ‘scientifically proficient’ developing countries such as Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Korea, and ‘scientifically marginalized’ countries such as those in sub-Saharan Africa and the least developed countries (LDCs). This South-South divide has serious implications not just for the developing world but for the developed world as well-given the fact that failed states are often cited as breeding grounds for terrorism and the absence of science is one of the reasons for their failure. This talk will examine the role that the global scientific community can play in improving the dismal state of science in many of the world’s poorest countries. The discussion will be focused on strategies that involve the South-South-North ‘triangular’ cooperative programs that could help build and sustain scientific capacity among the globe’s poorest countries, while simultaneously addressing some of the world's most pressing problems–problems no longer confined to the South itself.

*Was Replaced By* Strengthening Science and Technology In the Developing World click here for audio
Phillip A. Griffiths, Director, Institute for Advanced Study

A Virtual Global Network for Health Research click here for audio
Carol A. Medlin, Senior Researcher, Institute for Global Health, University of California, San Francisco