On Wednesday, June 14th, 2023, Dr Alaa Shattnan, the Director of the UNESCO Chair at Kufa University, participated in a symposium titled “Science Benefit Society – the Role of the Right to Science”, organized by UNESCO.

The symposium addressed the role of science and scientists in the service of society, especially in addressing health crises and pandemics and their consequences and their efforts to detect vaccines in record time, as well as their contribution to maintaining the durability of societies’ activities and supporting the economy. It was emphasized that the full potential of science remained untapped unless there was a firm commitment to a human rights-based approach.

The seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), celebrated throughout 2023, is the most appropriate occasion to raise awareness of the fundamental right to participate in scientific progress and its benefits (article 27, paragraph 1, Universal Declaration of Human Rights).

The symposium aimed to mobilize the interdisciplinary expertise of the UNESCO Chairs Network at universities to discuss strategies to promote the application of this right, which is fundamental to reducing inequality and ensuring sustainable development.

Translated into English by Shaima Adnan