40th Session Issues
Science for Peace
"The dilemma becomes apparent. Science and technology are largely responsible for the rapid improvement in national standards of living in the current century and are major hopes for the improved economic competitiveness of the developing world; yet the cost of such progress is measured not just in economic terms but in human and social terms as well. We have grown deeply dependent on these advances; yet unless we control their long-term physical and political consequences, their forces may be as destructive as they are progressive." Walter S. Jones, Professor of Political Science
Scientific and technological advances affect peace and security, economic and social development, human rights, global resources and many other aspects of life. These advances can either be used for the betterment of mankind or toward its detriment and eventual destruction.
BACKGROUND
The Forty-third General Assembly adopted Resolution 61 as a means to persuade the scientific community to utilize science and technology for the promotion of peace. The resolution states:
Considering the importance of encouraging scientists to work towards constructive objectives, to improve the climate for arms control and disarmament, and to promote a dialogue on important topics in connection with the positive contribution that scientific knowledge can make to peace, security and ecological balance...
...Urges Member States to promote international cooperation among scientists by facilitating of expertise and information.
The Resolution also permanently establishes the International Week of Scientists for Peace (previously held in 1986 and 1987). This week is devoted to the exchange of information and the promotion of dialogue among scientists for the procurement of peace.
United Nations University
The United Nations University will play a major role in the realization of the use of science and technology for peaceful purposes. The University's work is currently made up of eight program areas. They are:
- 1. Peace, Culture and Governance
- 2. The Global Economy and Development
- 3. Global Life Support Systems
- 4. Alternative Rural-Urban Configurations
- 5. Science, Technology and Society
- 6. Food, Nutrition and Biotechnology
- 7. Human and Social Development
- 8. Global Learning & Informatics
In 1988, the United Nations University worked on projects and did research on the following topics within each of the above areas. These were:
Area 1
Peace and Governance; Military R&D; Development and Peace; Preparation of
Societies for Life in Peace; Development and Collective Survival; Impact of
Migration; Third World & World Development; Ethnic Minorities &
Development.
Area 2
Macro-economic Policies; Real Wages & Unemployment; Correcting the US
Deficit; Stabilization and Adjustment; Reform & Stabilization &
Socialist Countries; New Trade Theories; Differentiation & Polarization.
Area 3
Human Dimensions of Global Change; Highland-lowland Interactions; Deforestation
& Land Use; Agroforestry Systems; The Cloud Forests; Energy Systems &
Policy; Biogas Technology; Integrated Rural Energy Systems; Energy Planning
& Management; Network on New and Renewable Sources; Food and Energy
Linkages.
Area 4
Third World Capacity; Latin America 2000; Transformation in Traditional
Societies; Technology in Third World: WIDER; Technology in Rural Arab World;
Human Rights and Technology; Interactions Between Technology and Society.
Area 5
Cognitive Effects of Iron Deficiency; New Diet and Health Guidelines; Rapid
Assessment Procedures; International Food Data Systems Project (INFOODS); Joint
AAU/UNU Food and Nutrition Project in Africa; WIDER: Development and Food
Entitlements; Food Consumption in Sub-Sahara; Biotechnology; Brucellosis
Research; Improving Food Fermentation.
Area 6
Quality of Life and Living standards; Social Security in Developing Countries;
Poverty and Development in West Bengal; Women vs the Family; Women's Work and
Family Strategies; Gender, Society, and Change; Inter-generational Dynamics of
Social Change; The Family in Transition.
Area 7
Distance Learning Resources, Knowledge for Self Reliance; Microprocessor
Technology; Management of Complexity.
During the period 1990-1995, the University will conduct its work within the following five interrelated areas of concern: Universal Human Values and Global Responsibilities; New Directions in the World Economy; Sustaining Global Life-support Systems; Advances in Science and Technology; and Population Dynamics and Human Welfare.
Science for International Peace
The United Nations has done extensive work in this area including lobbying nations to use space as a means for scientific and technological research. The special conditions (e.g. lack of gravity) present in space provide scientists with an environment conducive to many forms of experimentation and research. Experiments performed in space may contribute crucial data about some of the most critical problems facing the world today.
Treaties have also been established to safeguard against the misuse of outer space. This is accomplished by prohibiting nations from using outer space for territorial, colonization, or military purposes. (See Issue on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.)
Social & Economic Development
New developments in biotechnology have shown the potential to help scientists solve world hunger. There are almost five billion people on Earth and scientists say the population will continue to grow dramatically. World hunger is a major dilemma facing the international community. Approximately 25,000 people die of hunger each day. The majority are children in developing nations. These nations often lack the resources to ensure that individuals receive adequate food and medial care.
Genetic engineers are trying to modify crops for the production of more nutritional and disease resistant strains. These crops would also be better adapted to environmental stresses such as drought, and would be able to produce their own fertilizers. In the hopes of accomplishing this, the United Nations University (UNU) is currently involved with a biotechnology program for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Biologists are also in the process of developing vaccines against diseases which afflict livestock. For example, a drug is being developed to vaccinate animals against diseases such as coccidiosis. These diseases are often costly. Ccocidios, as of 1984, cost farmers in the United States $300 million annually.
Medical research and current technological advancements have produced benefits in the treatment of certain diseases, such as heart disease and cancer. The use of biotechnology has enabled scientists to achieve great progress in the area of medical research. This is mainly due to the discovery of recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Recombinant DNA will allow scientists to greatly advance their research in cancer and other genetic associated disorders.
The United Nations University has established the Rapid Assessment Procedures (RAP) for Nutrition and Primary Health. This program is able to produce useful nutrition and health information quickly and cheaply. Its implications on other health issues, such as the spread of AIDS, is being explored.
Promotion of Human Rights
In some cases, technological progress has been used for combative and oppressive measures. New advances in psychology and chemical and biological warfare provide certain regimes and factions with the munitions for inhumane actions, such as torture.
The Forty-first General Assembly adopted Resolution 41/113. This resolution called upon the international community to "take the necessary measures to ensure that the results of scientific and technological progress are used exclusively in the interests of international peace, for the benefit of mankind and for promoting and encouraging universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms..."
Protection of the Environment
Scientific and technological advances have provided society with progressive strides in many different areas. However, they are also responsible for the depletion of the planet's resources as well as the continued decimation of the environment. Global threats such as ozone depletion, global warming, deforestation and acid rain have exemplified the crisis facing the population. (See chapters on these subjects.)
The International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) has established the International Geosphere/Biosphere Program. This program is designed to monitor environmental changes. In addition, scientists worldwide are working jointly in the research of global change. This may be the first step toward a solution to the world's environmental problems.
SOURCES
- Jones, Walter S. "The Logic of International Relations",
- Scott, Foresman and Company, Glenview, 1988
- Robert Weaver, "Beyond Supermouse, Changing Life's Genetic
- Blueprints," National Geogrphic Dec. 1984.
- "The Genetic Economy," The Economist, 30 April 1988.