Science Diplomacy: A South African Perspective

Science diplomacy has gained popularity since 2009 and plays an important role in connecting scientific knowledge generated from various disciplines to strengthen global scientific cooperation. Many challenges necessitate global collaboration. These include climate change, the threat to loss of biodiversity, artificial intelligence advancements and its societal implications, food security, air pollution and health, water and sanitation related issues, just energy transition and geopolitical crises to name but a few. While scientists generate the knowledge and publish their findings to share with the scientific community, ambassadors of science representing their countries engage with their counterparts to establish collaborations across political boundaries. National academies have an important role to play in this regard as they have the power to convene academics, policymakers, the business sector as well as the public in dialogue on issues of national and global importance. The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) plays a vital role in addressing national, regional and global challenges in collaboration with other Academies on the continent and elsewhere. Some examples of how ASSAf uses science diplomacy to engage on issues of global importance are addressed in this paper.