Science and diplomacy in the view of UNESCO --- I work as a Programme Specialist for Natural Sciences at UNESCO, and thus I am very interested in science and diplomacy, and in the links among and beyond them, also because I consider myself as a "diplomentalist" - a diplomatic environmentalist, who enjoys to work on fostering international cooperation and diplomatic relations among countries, for the benefit of the local and global environment, natural resources and climate. In this regard, as stated some time ago by UNESCO (to know more, read the full webpage referenced in the link below), note that: <<UNESCO plays an important role in the field of science diplomacy, built on three comparative advantages:

Legitimacy; UNESCO’s universal mandate for science for peace and development ever since its inception in 1946, has made the Organization the cradle of modern science diplomacy. One of its first success stories was the creation of CERN in the early 1950s.

Credibility; UNESCO has extensive institutional expertise and a longstanding history of launching and implementing ground-breaking initiatives and projects that have gained international recognition. One of the most high-profile initiatives of this century concerns the SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East).

Universality; UNESCO can promote science diplomacy based on its universal mandate and, through its vast network of partners, bring diverse stakeholders, scientists, decision makers, and diplomats, from around the world together.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/science-technology/science-policy-and-society/science-diplomacy/

Source author: Massimiliano Lombardo m.lombardo@unesco.org