The leaders of nine scientific organizations from four continents have issued a joint statement on Science and technology for African development. Excerpt: 'We would like to stress...the fundamental importance of science, technology and innovation in tackling a wide range of problems facing Africa and other developing regions. The goal of securing a sustained improvement in the living standards of nations is highly complex and should be informed by scientists along with economists, social scientists and other experts in the field of development. At the heart of this endeavour, alongside issues of governance, security and trade, lies the capacity of nations to engage with global science and technology. We, the national science academies of the G8 nations and the Network of African Science Academies, therefore call on world leaders, including those meeting at the Gleneagles G8 Summit in July 2005, to implement the following recommendations without delay.' (Thanks to Thoughts About K4D.)
Comment. While the statement makes the correct and important point that scientific research is an essential part of economic development, what is notable about this statement is its complete neglect of access issues. The missing principle was well-put in the Berlin Declaration: '[The] mission of disseminating knowledge is only half complete if the information is not made widely and readily available to society.'
Posted by
Peter Suber at 7/10/2005 11:41:00 AM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.
