TEHRAN - The Islamic Republic of Iran pursues a policy of sustainable development in science and technology with a forward-looking view of humans and the environment, deputy science minister Peyman Salehi has said.

“In this regard, we welcome the interaction and exchange of science and technology with all interested countries and consider science diplomacy as one of the key tools of international cooperation,” he added, IRNA reported.

He made the remarks addressing the 26th session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) which was held from March 27 – 31 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The United Nations can play an important role in the field of technology transfer. In fact, the political will of countries, especially developed countries, helps developing countries to face the challenges ahead, especially in the possible future pandemics, and achieve the goals of sustainable development, he highlighted.

CSTD is a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the United Nations focal point for science, technology, and innovation (STI) for development, in analyzing how STI, including information and communications technologies (ICTs), serve as enablers of the 2030 Agenda.

It acts as a forum for strategic planning, sharing lessons learned and best practices, providing foresight about critical trends in STI in key sectors of the economy, the environment, and society, and drawing attention to emerging and disruptive technologies.

The twenty-sixth session was held with the themes of technology and innovation for cleaner and more productive and competitive production; and ensuring safe water and sanitation for all: a solution by science, technology, and innovation.

Since ancient times, Iran has been famous for its significant contribution to science and technology. Fortunately, after the Islamic revolution, much attention was paid to paving the way through large investments in the fields of science, technology, and innovation in Iran, Salehi stressed.

Science diplomacy is the use of scientific collaborations among nations to address common problems and build constructive international partnerships.

The share of Iranian articles with international participation has had significant growth of 209 percent during an eight-year period (2013-2020), becoming the Islamic world’s leading country in science diplomacy, according to the Scopus International Citation Database.

Salehi said in September 2022 that over the past year, 18 articles published by Iranian researchers have been cited by Scopus International Citation Database, compared with a total of 101 during the past 40 years.

MG