2019-10-17
Sponsored by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), the 2019 World Conference on Science Literacy opened in Beijing on October 16, 2019.
Huai Jinpeng, executive vice president of CAST, delivered a speech entitled “Shape a New Future for Science Literacy - Trust, Cooperation and Development" at the event.
Huai explained the importance of science literacy in three aspects – science literacy and sustainable development, promoting science and technology for public good, and deepening cooperation on science literacy. He also shared China’s explorations and practices in promoting science and technology for public good and improving science literacy.
On science literacy and sustainable development, Huai said that the development of human beings is, in essence, the development of individuals -- the overall improvement of individuals, and that science literacy has increasingly become the most central part of an individual’s development. The world today is undergoing changes unprecedented in a century, shifting from the information era to an era of intelligence. A new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation are taking shape. The integration of science with technology, economy, and society is growing more prominent. International cooperation is needed to promote the integration and coordinated development of science and technology with economy, society, culture and environment, because we have only one Earth and it is our shared community.
Huai said that in terms of improving science literacy, China attaches great importance to building open platforms for people from all walks of life to participate in social sciences and improve science literacy.
According to him, CAST has “diversified platforms and channels”, “offered guidance in value orientation”, “strengthened infrastructures”, “inspired social vitality” and “made science literacy improvement a national action and initiative”, all attesting to the fact that CAST has always been enhancing national science literacy and promoting science and technology for public good as its fundamental mission and it has made important contributions to science popularization and the improvement of public science literacy.
Huai stressed that all nations are acting positively to achieve the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The role of science literacy improvement is far from being brought into full play in addressing future challenges. The gap in science literacy is widening rather than narrowing. The divide among cultures is taking shape instead of disappearing. Development imbalance is probably to intensify, not to ease. These issues are hindering sustainable development and the improvement of human beings. We look forward to a world of sustainable development and expect all nations to jointly contribute to the improvement of public science literacy and the sustainable development of the world.