Topic 6 – Can Science turn elements of conflict to reason for coexistence?

 

Speakers: Mr. Serge Stroobants (Director of Europe & MENA region at the Institute for Economics and Peace), Dr. Kate Shaw (Staff scientist at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP))

 

Collaboration between the IPU and the IEP :

 

Mr. S. Stroobants (Director, Europe and MENA, Institute for Economics and Peace) drew attention to the pillars of collaboration between the IEP and the IPU, including: (1) science and peace; (2) analysis of peace efforts; (3) conflict resolution; and (4) parliamentary engagement for peace. The IEP was bringing a peace perspective to the first pillar while also working on data management so that peace research could be accessible to a wider audience. Under the second pillar, efforts were being made to map the different peace initiatives of the IPU and put them into a clear conceptual framework. The purpose of the framework was to improve efficiency and strengthen results. The third pillar was about assessing the many drivers of conflict and reorganizing IPU initiatives based on those drivers. It was important to look at conflict from various different angles as military interventions alone did not bring long-lasting peace, as exemplified by the situations in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. With that in mind, the Call of the Sahel, a joint declaration in which parliamentarians called for peace and sustainable development in the Sahel, had been built upon five areas of work: environment, community, security, development and education. The same approach should be replicated in other regions. The fourth pillar recognized the significant role that parliamentarians could play in peace efforts. Legislation, for instance, was an important guarantee of stability and progress. In addition, countries engaging in bilateral or multilateral agreements tended to be more peaceful because of the need to create good conditions for foreign direct investment.

 

There was a difference between positive peace and negative peace. Societies should be built on the pillars of positive peace so as to make them stable and resilient. Some countries were already on their way towards building positive peace through their legislation and policies.

 

Physics for development in conflict regions :

 

Dr. K. Shaw (Staff Scientist, Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics) said that her presentation would focus on the importance of physics, specifically in conflict regions.

 

Science had an absolutely key role to play in achieving many of the Sustainable Development Goals. As more and more countries were moving towards digital and green economies, it was vital to invest in science and to ensure technology transfer into industry. Countries around the world, both high- and low-income, needed to invest more in research and innovation. Research communities depended on supportive policies and funding. However, around 80% of countries were devoting less than 1% of their GDP to research and development.

 

Solving environmental and developmental problems required scientists as well as scientific and educational institutions. All nations needed to have strong scientific educational systems in place from childhood through to PhD level. It was proven that having research institutions and universities helped improve education at all levels. For instance, people with a university education in scientific research could go on to become teachers, thus driving primary and secondary education from the bottom up. However, many lower income countries did not have the funds or resources to invest in the infrastructure required to build a solid backbone of research and would thus be left behind. Among the resources they lacked were laboratories and up-to-date information and communication technologies.

 

Countries in conflict or political turmoil :

 

The situation was even worse for countries in conflict. Science fell to the bottom of the list in conflict due to the many other issues that needed addressing. Countries in conflict thus struggled to receive support for their science sectors. The lack of attention paid to science had negative effects both during and after the conflict. Indeed, it meant that the country lost a whole generation of trained scientists and would thus struggle to rebuild. There were, however, ways for the international community to support science in conflict areas.

 

The ICTP was a centre based in Trieste working under the auspices of UNESCO to promote physics in developing countries. It had worked with a number of countries in conflict, including Afghanistan, Venezuela and Palestine.

 

The example of Afghanistan :

 

Its work with Afghanistan had begun in 2018 at which point the country had been at war for approximately 20 years. However, despite the less-than-ideal conditions, young Afghans continued to strive to become scientists as well as to build a scientific community.

 

Afghanistan had four universities that offered undergraduate degrees in physics but did not offer master’s degrees or PhDs. The faculties did little to no research, instead employing 100% of their staff to teach or do administration. As such, students were becoming professors at 20–21 years old with just an undergraduate degree. It was in stark contrast to most other physics faculties where professors were required to have a PhD. There was very little funding and opportunity for students with undergraduate degrees to do post-graduate study abroad.

 

Some of the young, passionate professors at Kabul University had wanted to improve international cooperation and had thus joined forces with the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the ICTP. Together, they had organized a series of high energy physics schools. The schools included online masterclasses, work with ATLAS open data and a virtual visit to CERN. Work was also ongoing to improve the undergraduate courses at the university. Indeed, many modules were missing from the degree programmes, which meant that students with a great deal of potential were ineligible to apply for master’s or PhD programmes abroad. The ICTP had also set up funded scholarships for Afghans wishing to do their master’s degree in partner universities in Iran and had supported a total of 30 students over the past four years.

 

There had been many positive outcomes from the above work. For instance, four graduates of the scholarship programme were currently in PhD positions abroad in Switzerland or Italy. A few students had been accepted into the CERN summer student programme or the ICTP STEP programme. Two female students had also become faculty members at a research facility in Italy.

 

However, collaboration with Afghanistan had become more difficult since the fall of the Government in 2021. Less funding was available hence the ICTP was looking at doing online courses. There were, nevertheless, questions about whether to work with the current administration at all. Although the issue was complicated, it was important that the scientists of tomorrow were not abandoned.

 

The example of Venezuela :

 

Countries facing political instability, such as Venezuela, were equally at risk to those in conflict. Indeed, Venezuela had faced an economic collapse which had led to a huge exodus of people, including 50% of its academic staff. In response, the ICTP had set up a fellowship scheme so scientists could stay in the country. The scheme had supported 14 fellows over 2 years between 2020 and 2021. The situation in Venezuela had demonstrated the need to act quickly to prevent a collapse of the scientific sector during an economic crisis. Once people had left, it was unclear whether they would be able or willing to return.

 

The example of Palestine :

 

Another country supported by the ICTP was Palestine. The situation there was slightly different to a regular conflict in that the country was under occupation. The occupation made it incredibly challenging to promote physics in Palestine. Palestinians suffered the same lack of funding as other conflict areas but also faced huge problems with travel. Indeed, it was not easy to get in or out of the country to go to conferences, attend schools or visit scientific institutions. There were also huge difficulties getting visas.

 

The scientific community was losing some brilliant minds as a result of the political situation in Palestine. The country had a very high literacy rate (98%) and around 30% of its population went to university (the highest proportion in the Arab world). In addition, its students were extremely strong and hardworking. Indeed, Palestinians had achieved 20–30% higher grades than their British counterparts in exams for a master’s programme run at a prominent British university.

 

It was imperative to find a way to support Palestinians in their careers. As a result, the ICTP had been creating fellowships and advising about opportunities abroad. Some students had gone on to gain positions at the ICTP while others were doing various programmes at CERN. Palestinian scientists were also encouraged to give remote talks when unable to attend in person as well as to build connections beyond Palestine so as not to remain isolated.

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Science in exile :

 

She drew attention to the large numbers of refugee scientists living in exile. For example, there were 1,600 displaced scientists from Iraq alone who had fled their country as a result of the war. It was paramount that host countries integrated refugee scientists into their universities rather than putting them in refugee camps where their knowledge and skills went untapped. Not only would it support the scientists, enabling them to live in dignity, but it would benefit the host societies and science as a whole. There were many organizations working to support refugee scientists, including the World Academy of Sciences. Refugee scholarship opportunities were also available.

 

Physics without frontiers: International scientific cooperation :

 

It was necessary to acknowledge the benefits of international scientific cooperation in helping to build bridges between nations. Cooperation was important not just between stable, high-income countries but also with lower income countries as well as with countries in conflict or facing political turmoil. It was a way to bring people together around a common goal and thus promote peace. Her point was exemplified by the ATLAS and Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiments at CERN. The two experiments worked in competition with each other, often criticizing each other’s experiments. At the same time, however, they shared a common goal and could thus come together wherever necessary to compare results and share techniques. The ability to unite for the common good, despite conflicting ideas and infrastructure, was something that science could very much teach humanity.

 

She drew attention to the ICTP and the Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) as fantastic models of international collaboration. The ICTP had been built in 1964, mainly as a bridge between East and West thanks to its location in Trieste which had previously been part of the former Yugoslavia. Currently, it was a centre for all people from all nations. SESAME gave opportunities to countries with not much narrative in science. It was her belief that more facilities such as SESAME should be built not only to promote interregional cooperation but also to build the capacities of scientists, defeat brain drain and bring people together to defeat conflict.

 

In summary, it was vital to support scientists and young people and to build scientific infrastructures all over the world but particularly in conflict regions where science was often neglected. International scientific cooperation was a vital tool for resolving conflicts because it helped build soft diplomatic ties and broke down barriers between countries with a common goal. There was a need to create more networking opportunities, foster interregional collaboration and build shared infrastructure.

 

Mr. S. Stroobants (Director, Europe and MENA, Institute for Economics and Peace) drew attention to one of the eight pillars of positive peace, namely high levels of human capital, as well as to the emphasis on education within the Call of the Sahel. It was clear that societies were strong when their elites were strong.