Meanwhile, I have some excerpts from the text that I found relevant and on-point:
Science can and should inform policymaking on a wide range of issues but as technologies evolve, a legislative perspective is needed on how to answer to the significant shifts experienced by the global economy over the last decades.
This sentence struck me because it is NOT only science and technology that should be in the spotlight, but it also shows the importance of policy- and lawmakers to be well-versed in the changing times where science, technology, and innovation (STI) are a burgeoning industry. I liken it to a vaccine that is inoculated into a patient. The drug (the healing component) is the S&T but the drug carrier (the membrane or 'package' of the drug) is the legislation. It is so important to get these two things right when administering a vaccine in order to treat the disease. A wrong carrier cannot bring the drug to the target zone while a wrong drug cannot cure the illness.
...scholars have started to study how cutting-edge technologies can help to develop pro-peace innovations. [sic] Real-time use of big data, for instance can be instrument for a better understanding of conflict dynamics.
Investing in the mechanisms that link science to development and peace can pay high dividends for many countries. Cooperation models developed by the world of science, based on joint projects and common objectives, can also substantively contribute to intercultural dialogue and peace. Science can help to identify and better understand long-term threats and emerging trends like to impact upon the well-being of future generations, and help to shape the policies to address them.
I think this is my first time to read a statement connecting SCIENCE and PEACE. Really. I know that science explains a lot of things and phenomena but peace? How? Now I know. By using big data and analysing it to see trends and patterns within conflicts (or perhaps societies) that can be addressed with sound solutions and eventually resolve the problem. To solve a problem, one must understand the problem first. Science can help understand the problem more from different perspectives. And THAT can resolve conflicts to create peace. Galing. I suddenly remember the Arab Spring conflict. I've read a few papers about it. Some argue that what exacerbated the Arab Spring was climate change. Because of this, it created chaos that started within Tunisia and spread across Libya, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, and Syria. At first I cannot comprehend how climate change can create conflict. How can the shift of global temperatures cause upheavals? Well, it definitely affects food security. Change in climate will affect many natural processes and can affect food production and supply. If the people/scientists cannot find solutions or the technology to produce more food to feed earth's growing population amidst global warming, there will chaos. Just like what happened in Arab Spring. Now I have an example of what it means to link science with peace.
Although science is generally considered to play a beneficial role in society, quite often it is not involved early enough or in a structured manner in the discussions on the major challenges facing societies and in the design of the related policies. In some cases, science and scientific knowledge are simply being undermined, underfunded, and marginalised.
Clearly, there is a need to include SCIENCE in policymaking. While science is not forgotten, there needs to be a wider consciousness among policymakers, and a significant number of them, to include /consider/ incorporate science in their decisionmaking. I do not, however, advocate for the science-trumps-all thinking because there are details that science miss out on. So there should be a balance between hard science and social science when gathering and analysing data.
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