Nature World Conference on Science

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THE TUNIS DECLARATION

A - PREAMBLE

We the Members of the African Academy of Sciences and the Participants of the 5th General Conference of the Academy held at Hammamet, Tunisia on 23 - 27 April 1999, under the theme : "THE MILLENIAL PERSPECTIVE ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA, AND ITS POSSIBLE DIRECTIONS FOR THE 21st CENTURY", in collaboration with distinguished invited friends of the Academy from Africa and elsewhere:

Acknowledging

the relentless efforts of UNESCO for nearly four decades in initiating, catalysing, promoting and assisting African nations towards adopting science and technology as a recognised tool in our national development strategies, and
the initiative of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in urging for the integration of science in national development programmes, as boldly and succintly articulated in the Lagos Plan of Action of 1980;

Recognising

that the application of science is the most effective weapon in our struggle towards the reduction, and eventually the elimination of abject poverty amongst our people;
that the value of science in achieving national development goals is even more evident now than has ever been postulated in the past, especially with regard to modern advances in informatics and biotechnology;
that over the last three decades there has been persistence and aggravation of underdevelopment on the African continent, with negative effects on the population and the environment; and
the multiple constrains in Africa in the context of the new world order

Appreciating that

the overall economic and social development of our nations can easily and beneficially be accelerated through the adaptation, assimilation, internalisation, innovation and invention of new technologies, and that
our historical background calls for renewed efforts for the renaissance of science in the modern civilisation, as we enter the next millennium;

Alarmed by

the continuing inability to transform the political promises made by our various OAU member states into fiscal science programmes, thus making it difficult for the implementation of the desired development objectives;
the blossoming campaigns insisting on the unconditional acceptance of the free market trends, while there is continuing unpreparedness for competition by most countries in Africa; and by
the incessant transfer (and in many cases pirating) of valuable genetic resources from Africa (and the entire developing South) to the industrialised North;

Concerned that

world peace can be at stake through the military application of science with deleterious effects on mankind, and also on the environment, and that
while new knowledge in science and technology is continuously being created, countries in the South are generally incapable of tapping this resource, due to a multiplicity of factors (including low level of education and training, poor infrastructure, and underfinacing);

Conscious of

the role of education and science towards the promotion of the culture of peace and tolerance, for enhanced economic and social development, especially at the threshold of the new millenium;
the growing unequal access to scientific and technological knowledge which continues to widen the gap between and among countries of the North and those in the South; and
the fact that UNESCO has repeatedly encouraged a minimum expenditure of 1% of the GDP on research and development in science, as a necessary prerequisite to national socio-economic development;

Aware that

indigenous knowledge in Africa remains unprotected, and at the risk of being exploited without benefiting the sources, and that
the recent campaigns in the protection of modern knowledge through intellectual property rights, will have a negative impact to the needy developing countries in Africa;

Considering that

access to scientific knowledge is part of the right to education, health and the information in accordance with provisions in the United Nations Charter on Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
technology is the result of basic scientific research being applied to effectively solve problems emanating from development implementation strategies, and that
without a sound science base, technology cannot be effectively developed;

Recalling that

the history of world science clearly acknowledges and demonstrates Africa's unequivocal achievements in the renaissance of science and civilization of mankind, and that
the modern available knowledge base is a result of voluntary contributions from sources scattered across all continents;

Worried of the

precarious position accorded to the glaring lack of protection of Africa's indigenous knowledge, and the
aggressively growing demand for recognition on the protection of emerging technological and biological knowledge,

Realising that

only in the very few African countries where rational systems of training and scientific research have been set up, there has been meaningful socio-economic development.

Observing that

countries in Africa are yet to transform their political pledges into feasible and manageable science-led development programmes, and that
there is widespread indefensible hesitation by Africa's governments towards allocating adequate resources for the advancement of science and technology;

Perturbed by

the recurring threats to food security and the unfavourable health status of Africa's people, and by
the existing inability to tame nature, and to manage natural disasters by applying science and technology;

Urged by

the need to elevate the status of science as an integrated tool for the acceleration of the implementation of Africa's national development programmes, and by
our inner desire to ensure that science operates affirmatively and favourably towards achieving rapid socio-economic development;

Convinced that

science and its applications constitute the essential basis for socio-economic development and improvement of the quality of life of our society;
through partnerships with national, regional and international agencies, Third World countries can more effectively harness science for development;
the responsibility for the application of science and technology is within the powers of our governments and people;
the future of development in our nations depends upon our ability to harness the virtue of science, and that
Africa's development can be accelerated through pragmatic national commitments, collaborative and partnership programmes :

Reaffirming

Scientists' particular responsibility in the development of Africa and the importance of women's participation in training and research;
the essential contribution of scientific associations, and particularly of the learned communities in the promotion of science and technology; and
the necessity for increasingly involving the media in order to ensure rapid spread of technical and scientific culture to society:

B. AGENDA FOR ACTION

Hereby recommend the following proposals for urgent action.

TO OUR GOVERNMENTS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR

Science for sustainable development

Science education, at all levels, must be revamped (with gender equity) so as to establish an atmosphere which will enhance Africa's capacity and capability to develop and sustain basic and applied sciences, towards meeting the needs of the 21st Century.

Africa's nations must nurture an environment which will attract talent towards the basic and applied sciences, and also recognise and reward scientists, as part of the long term deliberate efforts to promote and retain Africa's human capital.

All nations in Africa must embark on science and technology policy development, and the policies should be reviewed periodically and be integrated into national development policies,

Science must be harnessed as a means for economic growth in accordance with acceptable moral and ethical obligations.

New and emerging fields such as information technology, biotechnology and material science, must be accorded due attention by curriculum developers at all levels of education.

Traditional sources of food must be complemented by modern science and technology innovations, in order to ensure food security for all, during the early phase of the 21st century.

Health for all must also be guaranteed during the early phase of the 21st century through the judicious and equitable application of new knowledge.

The transfer of environmentally friendly science-based technologies must be facilitated affordably to countries in dire need of development, in order to ensure a clean environment in the global community.

International collaborations must be promoted in our efforts to attain zero emission goals by all our industries, thus protecting and enhancing sustainability of the environment.

Natural resource

Measures must be adopted for the efficient utilisation of Africa's existing abundant natural resource base, which includes the genetic resources in our oceans, rivers, lakes, forests and geological resources.
New and emerging technologies must be adopted, in order to ensure an integrated biosystems approach that will facilitate sustainable utilisation Africa's bioresources of our resources in an environmentally friendly atmosphere.
Sustainable development and utilisation of Africa's water resources must also be accorded due attention in order to ensure adequate and safe water for all during the first few decades of the 21st Century.

Science and the community

The importance of science must be popularised, with a view to inculcating a science culture in our communities.
Vigorous campaigns on the promotion of people's awareness on the role of science in solving community environmental, health, and developmental problems, must be initiated, encouraged, supported and implemented with particular emphasis on gender equity.

TO OUR GOVERNMENTS, THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

Funding

The initial commitment towards to the financing of the development of science and technology by each OAU member country must be aimed at achieving a minimum fund equal to the minimum 1% of the GDP within the first decade of the 21st Century. This will form a firm foundation that will attract and encourage the involvement of the private sector and benevolent organisations.
African nations must commit themselves towards allocating financial resources for the development of science and technology with a long term goal of 3% of the GDP, in keeping with what has been achieved by the developed countries.
The debt burden of African countries must be utilised in support of activities pertaining to the development of science and technology.

TO THE AFRICAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND PARTNERS

The database of Africa's scientists already developed by AAS must be regularly updated, as a pragmatic prerequisite for the establishment of national, subregional, regional and international information networks, which will facilitate the exchange of knowledge and expertise , and the promotion of collaborative regional research programmes:
A task force must be established to facilitate and to monitor the implementation of the identified Agenda.

TO AFRICA's INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS IN DEVELOPMENT

Collaborative programmes in science and technology between public and private organisations must be established, encouraged, consolidated, and supported at national and regional levels, in order to promote the emergence of national and regional strategies, which enhance South-South co-operation in Africa.
Sustained international partnerships for mutually beneficial development strategies and programmes, must also be initiated and nurtured with a view to enhancing North-South co-operation, and also sustained support from Africa's diaspora.
This declaration, the Tunis Declaration is hereby being submitted to UNESCO as a contribution of the African Academy of Sciences to the world Conference on Science, in Budapest 1999.

C. VISION FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Towards a culture of Science

When will a calculus be accessible through Kiswahili? When in the 21st century will a class in chemistry be conducted in Xhosa?
For science to prosper in society, a whole outlook needs to be activated, nourished and sustained. As she enters the new millennium, Africa needs to create and purposely consolidate a culture of science ranging from new attitudes to new museum of science.
For such a culture to be sustained, bridges needs to be built between popular thought and scientific ideas, and between the language of science and the discourse of every day life. Africa needs to enlarge the people's curiosity about science, motivate young men and women to pursue scientific enquiries.
In a culture of science, scientists are ready to learn from the wider culture, and the wider culture learns to be science-friendly in its scale of priorities.

The Androginization of Science

Will a much larger proportion of women scientists and engineers in Africa reduce the brain-drain from Africa? Do women have stronger ties to where they come from? Are they less prone to migratory parten?
The reduced brain-drain is only one of the spin-off benefits of the androginization of science and technology in Africa in the 21st Century. Only 23 per cent of Africa's girls get the secondary schools, and less than 3 per cent make it to institutions of higher learning.
The gender gap is even wider in science and technical training where textbooks are notoriously irrelevant to the daily concerns of girls and women, and where culture inhibitions divert women away from laboratories and technical skills.
" Androginizing " the world of technology and science is a strategy of purposefully giving it both male and female characteristics after generations of masculine-basis.
When more and more women become scientifically sophisticated, the culture of science will influence not only their own lives, but also the lives of their children.
Indeed, the " androginization " of science is an important prediction for true successful development and nourishment of culture of science.

Technology as an Engine of Transformation

The Director General of UNESCO has recently urged African governments to set a minimum target of spending 0.4% of their GNP on science and technology for the next 5 years on top of the 3% committed by the UN Development programme (UNDP) from its own funding for S and T in Africa.
Africa has always had material resources, but it has not had the expertise to control them. Africa does need what is called " a core of relevant scientists " capable of making the most rational choices, on the basis of available and emerging technologies; How best can we utilise Africas immense resources and future potential in Africa's interest ?
Technology has often been an engine for industrial and social transformation. Indeed Africa's own industrial minerals have propelled technological revolutions in other parts of the world.
It is time that Africa developed levels of expertise commensurate with its material resources so that both may serve the African people and their destiny.

The Conscience of Science
1. Ghana's Founder President, Kwame Nkrumah, used to say " Socialism without science is void ", was that his way of saying that science and social responsibility needed each other ?
2. Others say that science and technology would be treated just like market forces under liberal ideologies- never to be restrained. And yet however free the economic market plan may be allowed to be, the human race cannot afford to have Laissez fair science. Science has to have the limits of conscience especially in the new era of globalisation.
3. In the 20th century, science has saved millions of lives through the control diseases, and improvement of living conditions. But also in the 20th century science has destroyed millions of lives through wars, industrial pollution, ecological degradation, and " smart weapons ". In the 21st century the human race needs to get the equation more clearly.
4. Africa should seek to play a role not only in scientific research but also in the search for the entries of science in the era of globalisation and expanding biotechnology.