June 30, 2015
News
Pak academic wins UNESCO Avicenna Prize of Ethics 2015
ISLAMABAD: The winner of the 2015 UNESCO Avicenna Prize of Ethics in Science is Pakistani Professor of Biotechnology and bioethicist Zabta Khan Shinwari.
The prize, which includes a diploma, a UNESCO Avicenna Gold Medal and a cheque of $10,000, will be awarded at an official ceremony that will be organised this year at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on September 30.
On this occasion, Prof Shinwari, as the recipient of the prize, will deliver a keynote Avicenna lecture, which will take place at 5pm (Room II) during a joint public meeting of two UNESCO’s advisory scientific bodies - the World Commission on Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST) and the International Bioethics Committee (IBC), both of which will be meeting in Paris for their annual sessions at the same time.
Prof Shinwari was designated the laureate of the prize by UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova upon the recommendation of an independent international jury of scholars and ethicists, including Marie-Helene Parizeau (Canada), jury’s chairperson and vice chairperson of COMEST, COMEST Rapporteur Luka Omladi? (Slovenia), and Hebe Vessuri (Venezuela), also member of COMEST.
The jury stressed that Prof Shinwari could be a role model in the area of ethics of science because he combines an outstanding personal commitment to ethically responsible research and responsible science with high academic standards of scientific research, education and management.
Currently Prof Shinwari is fellow and the secretary general of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences, as well as Chair of the Biotechnology Department of the Quaid-i-Azam University of Islamabad. He has a PhD in Plant Sciences from the Kyoto University which he obtained in 1994, and several post doctoral degrees in Agricultural Biotechnology from several prestigious Japanese Institutions.
The jury of the prize underlined that his international scientific career exemplifies how scientific development has advanced in recent times. Shinwari has been able to leverage his scientific and academic work in the East to make an important impact in his country while building strong and significant collaborations with the West. Over three decades of his academic career, Prof Shinwari has worked for the Pakistan Museum of Natural History, the National Agricultural Research Centre, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Pakistan, and several research organisations.
From 2004 to 2006, he was the vice-chancellor and president of the Kohat University of Science & Technology (KUST) and succeeded in establishing the University of Science & Technology, Bannu. He is also founder of KUST Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS). He also worked as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the private research institution Qarshi Research International and was vice chancellor and founder of Qarshi University in Lahore.
Prof Shinwari has steadfastly promoted the participation of indigenous peoples and women in the construction of science and in the sharing of its benefits and has worked to empower local communities to use their natural resources and biodiversity in a sustainable manner to achieve an environmentally sound economic development.
The jury also underlined that he has addressed sensitive ethical issues in a complex context of globalisation. He has made an exceptional contribution to the ethics of science through his deep engagement in research ethics education at the national and regional levels. Furthermore, the prize recognises his work with a view to build capacities and to raise awareness of scientists, policymakers, practitioners and the general public on issues of bioethics, biosafety, biosecurity and on dual use concerns in biotechnology in order to address effectively security risks, alleviate the chances of potential abuse of biotechnology and promote a safe and secure scientific culture.
Established in 2003 by the Executive Board of UNESCO at its 166th session on the initiative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the UNESCO Avicenna Prize for Ethics in Science, awarded every two years, is intended to reward the activities of individuals and groups in the field of ethics in science.
By thus promoting ethical reflection on issues raised by advances in science and technology, it is expected to help significantly to increase international awareness and highlight the importance of ethics in science.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk