INGSA-Asia team attends the INGSA2024 Conference in Kigali, Rwanda
On the30th April – 3rd May 2024, the INGSA-Asia team attended the 5th INGSA Conference which was held in Kigali, Rwanda. The conference titled “The Transformation Imperative: Expanded Evidence for Inclusive Policies in Diverse Contexts” was attended by the INGSA-Asia Chair, Prof Ts Dr Tan Wee Hoe, INGSA-Asia Regional Program Officer, Aishwuriya Kunashankar and Dr Toan Ngoc Dang, INGSA-Asia Steering Committee Member and Dr Hazel Yean Ru Ann, Project Coordinator for the INGSA-NASEM Guidebook Project on Countering Zoonotic Spillover of High Consequence Pathogens.
The conference provided a conducive platform for the INGSA-Asia Chapter to engage with counterparts from other regional chapters, which allowed for reestablishment of internal relationships in person, facilitating valuable knowledge exchange, peer sharing and support and introspection. INGSA-Asia acknowledged the need for our efforts to address local issues in the region such as transboundary haze, ecological ramifications of the oil release in Fukushima waters and the imperative of science diplomacy for the sustainability of the South China Sea.
The INGSA2024 Conference also welcomed four delegates from the Asia-Pacific region, graciously sponsored by the ISC Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific (ISC RFP-AP) who shared their work to ensure trusted science advice is integrated into informed decision-making and government policy. These delegates were Prof Nadira Karunaweera, President of National Academy of Sciences Sri Lanka, Dr Toan Ngoc Dang, INGSA-Asia Steering Committee Member, Dr Hazel Yean Ru Ann, Project Coordinator for the INGSA-NASEM Guidebook Project and Mr Robert David Karoro, ISC Fellow and a former advisor to the president of Kiribati. For further details, read the full blog post from ISC RFP-AP here (https://council.science/current/blog/asia-pacific-calls-for-better-science-advice-links-to-government/)
INGSA-Asia extends its gratitude to INGSA and the ISC RFP-AP for providing the opportunity for the region to be represented in the conference, amidst the distinguished gathering of 300 delegates from 65 countries.
*Photo: Prof Ts Dr Tan Wee Hoe, Dr Toan Ngoc Dang, Prof Nadira Karunaweera, Mr Robert Karoro, Dr Petra Lundgren (Director of the ISC Focal Point for Asia-Pacific, hosted by the Australian Academy of Science), Dr Hazel Yean Ru Ann, Aishwuriya Kunashankar