Although the 2020 World Young Scientists Summit has come to an end, the answers left for the future are still full of challenges.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently wrote to all participants in the summit that he looked forward to working with participants and peers to address challenges such as climate change.
Guterres said in his letter that the declaration adopted by the World Summit of Young Scientists is an important expression of supporting the role of science in promoting human well-being and defeating the coronavirus pandemic, and thanked the participants of the summit for their “contributing to building a more inclusive, equitable, sustainable and peaceful future”.
“Like you, I believe that innovation, multilateralism, and entrepreneurship are critical to addressing today’s global challenges and achieving sustainable development goals—from eradicating extreme poverty to advancing climate action.” Guterres said in the letter.
Guterres believes that as countries are struggling to cope with the coronavirus pandemic and achieve a better recovery, it should also be recognized as a “warning bell”.
Guterres said he was pushing for a global collaboration aimed at achieving carbon neutrality by the middle of the century and setting up a climate change youth advisory group to expand the voice of young people, and he looked forward to the active participation of summit participants and peers.
Guterres pointed out that in today’s knowledge-based economy, it is more important than ever to ensure that young people’s scientific and technological skills and digital literacy are developed.
He expressed his special attention to gender and regional disparities in these areas and hoped that all participants in the summit would meet this challenge, advocate for gender equality and empower women and girls in all fields of science.
The 2020 World Young Scientists Summit was held in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province on October 18 this year. This summit is the second since the first one last year.
With the theme of “gathering the talents of the world to create a better future”, it was jointly organized by the China Association for Science and Technology and the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government.
Scientists, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and artists from more than 100 countries, regions and international scientific and technological organizations participated in the summit, of which about 70% are young scientists under the age of 45.
