GENEVA (AN) — The Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator Foundation released a new report that outlines a framework calling for proactive science governance.
GESDA suggests in it 36-page report released on Monday that current diplomatic systems need overhauling because they are reactive and struggle to keep up with fast scientific advances. It proposes integrating scientific foresight into international relations with the goal of shaping future outcomes.
The report, "Anticipatory Science Diplomacy: A New Global Framework for Action," was released at an event in London co-hosted with the Wellcome Trust, a key financial backer of GESDA's global curriculum initiative.
GESDA Board Member Enrico Letta, a former Italian prime minister, wrote in a foreward to the report that it "offers a compelling vision for how we can anticipate the future of science and shape the global governance needed to ensure it benefits humanity as a whole."
The approach aims to move beyond reacting to scientific changes and to anticipate their ethical, social, economic and political impacts. This foresight would span five, 10 and 25 years based on GESDA's trademarked "Science Breakthrough Radar," its foundational tool.
However, challenges remain. Predicting complex, unforeseen interactions is difficult; GESDA itself, for example, did not anticipate the rapid adoption of generative AI.
The framework rests on four pillars:
- Science Anticipation: Identifying emerging trends and their implications.
- Honest Brokering: Facilitating impartial dialogue among diverse groups. These include scientists, diplomats and industry.
- Global Action: Developing early multilateral solutions. Implementing these widely can be hard in a fractured world.
- Capacity Building: Training new leaders in science and diplomacy. This requires a systemic shift in education.
The report stresses the urgent need for this approach and cites global challenges like climate change and AI ethics. Geopolitical rivalries add to the complexity.
GESDA highlights its role in establishing the Open Quantum Institute at European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN. The OQI facilitates early discussions on quantum computing's humanitarian potential. This "learning by doing" approach aims to build trust. It also seeks to prototype solutions for the multilateral system.
The framework offers an ambitious blueprint. Its full success depends on overcoming diplomatic inertia. It also faces the inherent limits of foresight and global complexities.
Science Diplomat
