IV International Symposium "SCIENCE DIPLOMACY IN A MULTIPOLAR WORLD: SCIENCE. DIALOGUE. TRUST"

The rapid transformation of the international landscape in recent years is linked to the emergence of a new multipolar global architecture of power. Science diplomacy has therefore become more than a soft skills toolkit. Its diversity and complexity demands a multidisciplinary and critical understanding of science in societies and diplomacy including the history, the ethics and geopolitics of science in its relation to power.

While some researchers and practitioners describe science diplomacy as being in crisis -fragmented and inconsistent, others argue that it is “maturing” and becoming a component of public diplomacy. UNESCO Chairs must connect the pulse of multilateral transformations with academic reflection. The UNESCO Chair on Science Diplomacy and Heritage calls for an historical understanding of the diversity of science diplomacies in the geopolitical South, while searching for etho-political values that could strengthen open science, multilateralism and peace. The UNESCO Chair on Future Studies foresees possible futures of science diplomacy anticipating scenarios of crisis and cooperation.

International organizations are already reinforcing science diplomacy as a strategic priority, as reflected in UNESCO’s ongoing initiatives and agenda-setting work in this domain. Some scientific leaders are actively strengthening their science diplomacy capacities; for example, Russia has affirmed the importance of this agenda in the Concept of International Scientific and Technical Cooperation of the Russian Federation. Yet, the scholarly critical understanding of science diplomacy has to come along with policymaking.

Thus, positioning science diplomacy in an emerging multipolar world requires the engagement of both practitioners and theorists. Young scientists - many of whom will become science diplomats in this new reality - have a particularly important role to play. For this reason, the IV International Symposium of the UNAM UNESCO Chair on Science Diplomacy and Scientific Heritage will be held within the VI Young Scientists Congress in the Sirius Federal Territory.

The Symposium is built around three core pillars of science diplomacy in today’s multipolar context:

Science: affirming the intrinsic value of science and the inappropriateness of its politicization, recognizing that science is essential to the sustainable development of humanity.

Dialogue: as both the primary purpose and the key instrument of diplomacy, enabling mutual understanding and consensus-building.

Mutual trust: a foundational value for both science and diplomacy, indispensable for stability, cooperation, and peaceful coexistence.

Symposium participants - leading scholars and young researchers from around the world - will present their perspectives on the diverse facets of science diplomacy in a multipolar world.

The programme will address not only contemporary dynamics but also the history of science diplomacy and scientific heritage. The Symposium is designed to reflect a plurality of disciplines, examining science diplomacy across domains—from mega-science and large-scale research infrastructures to the social sciences and humanities.

A further focus will be interaction among science diplomacy actors at different levels: states and scientific communities; international and non-governmental organizations; development institutions; and high-tech businesses.

The Symposium panels are fully integrated into the VI Young Scientists Congress business programme and are open to all its participants.

• Science Diplomacy in a Multipolar World: Concepts, Models, and Narratives
• Science, Dialogue, Trust: Principles and Practical Mechanisms
• Mega-Science and Large-Scale Research Infrastructures as Platforms for Diplomacy
• Social Sciences and Humanities in Science Diplomacy
• Scientific Heritage and the History of Diplomacy of Knowledge
• Actors and Ecosystems of Science Diplomacy
• Global Challenges and the Future of Science

Speaker selection: Symposium speakers will be selected by the Symposium Scientific Committee through an open call for proposals.

Selection will be based on academic and/or professional merit, relevance to the Symposium tracks, and contribution to cross-sector and cross-regional dialogue.

UNESCO Chair on Future Studies of the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE University)

UNESCO Chair in Science Diplomacy and Scientific Heritage at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (University of Sharjah, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (NAUM))

Sharjah International Foundation for the History of Arab and Muslim Sciences (SIFHAMS) and College of Communication, University of Sharjah

Alliance of Civilizations Institute, Ibn Haldun University

Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO

Russian Association for the Advancement of Science

Professor Dr. Leonid Gokhberg, First Vice Rector, HSE University and Director of Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge HSE University

Professor Dr. Esameldin Agamy, Chancellor of the University of Sharjah

Professor Dr. Attila Arkan, President of Ibn Haldun University

Professor Dr. Ana María Cetto, Chairholder UNESCO Chair (UNAM, University of Sharjah)

Professor Dr. Jairo Alfonso, University of Sharjah

Dr. Semiyu Adejare Aderibigbe, University of Sharjah

Professor Dr. Alexander Sokolov, Deputy Director of Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK), Head of UNESCO Chair on Future Studies HSE University

Dr. Irek Suleymanov, Associate Professor of ISSEK Department of Educational Programmes, HSE University

Dr. Elena Eremenko, Russian Association for the Advancement of Science

Professor Yudy Tibaduiza, UNESCO Chair on Science Diplomacy and Scientific Heritage (UNAM, University of Sharjah)

Professor Bruno Velazquez, UNAM

Assoc. Prof. Vahdettin Işık, Dean of the Alliance of Civilizations Institute, Ibn Haldun University

Professor Dr. Mesut Idriz, Director of SIFHAMS, University of Sharjah and Co-chairholder UNESCO Chair on Science Diplomacy and Scientific Heritage (UNAM, University of Sharjah)

Professor Parsifal Islas Morales, Coordinator General, UNESCO Chair on Science Diplomacy and Scientific Heritage (UNAM, University of Sharjah)

Dr. Irek Suleymanov, Associate Professor of ISSEK Department of Educational Programmes, HSE University

Dr. Francisco Brambila, Leading Researcher of ISSEK Centre for Science, Technology, Innovation and Information Policy, HSE University

Asst. Prof. Ayaz Asadov, Alliance of Civilizations Institute, Ibn Haldun University