(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) and the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) signed yesterday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to bring the benefits of collaboration to the world at large, marking a victory for science and education.
The agreement, taking stock of two years of co-operation, was signed by Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, assistant director-general for Natural Sciences at Unesco and Yury Sentyurin, secretary general of the 20-member coalition of the leading gas exporting countries of the world.
The MoU will serve as a gateway of opportunities between the two entities in the areas of struggle against climate change, natural resources management, and positive developments across the globe, particularly in the Africa region. The partnership will further allow the sides to focus on capacity building, technical support, and shared expertise.
Both signatories commended the Unesco Cluster Office for the GCC and Yemen (accredited to Doha) for facilitating the agreement.
'The mobilisation of science for the benefit of society and the planet is now more urgent than ever. We need science and technology, we need access to science and technology, we need to be able to reduce the knowledge gap between different countries across the world, and therefore this partnership with the GECF is really a beacon of hope and light, said Nair-Bedouelle following the virtual signing ceremony.
She added: 'GECF serves as a platform for the science policy interface, underpinning the importance of the exchange of scientific knowledge, experience, and dissemination of information through research and production of global outlooks and statistical bulletins.
'We at Unesco are therefore confident that this partnership will further harness the potential of science and technological co-operation to address global challenges, through advocacy and awareness raising at all levels of society and economic sectors towards achieving the sustainable goals of the 2030 Agenda and beyond.
Scientifically-grounded data and insights are championed at the GECF, said Sentyurin, who emphasised that 'technology is key to the envisaged energy transition and climate action such as greenhouse gasses (GHGs) emissions mitigation.
Sentyurin added: 'Education and science-oriented exercises play a great role in environmental protection with a view to raise awareness and cultivate a culture of energy responsible behaviour or energy scholarship.
'The GECF is developing technologies, including ones in relation to reduction of GHGs emissions through the GECF Gas Research Institute, recently established in Algeria, and fully dedicated to discovering new technologies and innovations to achieve the ambitious sustainable development goals in front of us, said Sentyurin.
'The GECF's ambition to steward the gas industry into playing a greater role in environmental protection manifests in our Environmental Knowledge and Solutions initiative. This 12-point agenda focuses on many aspects of our activities, he added. Page 12
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