Keynote lecture: Public engagement, scientific literacy and the science-society nexus

Speaker:

• Dr. Daya Reddy, President of the International Science Council and Professor at the University of Cape Town

The spectrum of inequalities constitutes a major obstacle to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This has been further exacerbated by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In this context the scientific community faces challenges both in relation to their scientific work and at the interfaces with society and policy. The successful pursuit of integrated approaches to the SDGs and to the goals of robust and equitable post-pandemic recovery and resilience require mitigation of inequalities in access to knowledge and participation, and effective routes to public engagement. The presentation addresses these challenges as key components of scientific responsibility.

Discussants:

• Dr. Andy Stirling, Professor of Science and Technology Policy, University of Sussex 
• Dr. Zora Kovacic, Postdoctoral fellow, University of Bergen