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technologies be there. Many of them can be abused, and North. It’s working very well. We are now emerging
not all of them are consistently put to good use. There has from our start-up phase. The Swiss government have
to be some sort of governance that is globally accepted just announced a couple of weeks ago that they are
and not just greed that determines what kind of science extending our lifespan by 10 years, and they are tripling
and technology we get, where it is going to be used their financial contribution, which is quite a gratifying
and deployed. Just as important, it has to be accessible validation.
to everybody on this planet, not only the people in the
Global North. How many people are working in the initiative?
We are very small right now, altogether 12 persons, and
That takes about 60 percent of my time, and I’m also on we’ll expand now that we are established, but not too
the board of quite a number of foundations including the much. We are not aiming to be a very big organization.
Kofi Annan Foundation, which is working very well. I’m Once we have the solutions, others will implement them
on a number of foundations that are focusing on young in the countries, in the member states. We are working
people, something I enjoy a lot. Then I’m asked to speak hard to become a networked organization, creating
here and there, so I have pretty busy seven- to eight-hour partnerships. There is no point in re-inventing wheels
days that I’m used to. that are perfectly functioning out there. This is also very
much part of our approach.
Never a dull moment?
First of all, I do not think I have ever had a dull moment. In today’s world, I’m convinced that organizations big or
I cannot see myself sitting at home just reading the small will not succeed unless they network and partner.
newspapers. I need to do something, and for me the The existential problems that we are facing are such
word “retirement” has kind of evaporated along the way. that unless we work together in ways we never worked
together before, I do not think we’ll make it. Our children
Going back to the Science and Diplomacy Initiative. Are and grand-children might not, and certainly not with
you open for people? the level of well-being that our generation has benefitted
People who are interested in our work should have a from. So, we must work together.
look on our website, which is www.gesda.global. In there
you will see one of our first products, something we call The collaborative gene, if you will, is developing well. Part
the “Science Breakthrough Radar”, which is a document of the inputs for that are the Sustainable Development
written by over 500 scientists predicting what is going to Goals (SDGs). With the complexity of the problems and
happen over the next 5, 10, 25 years in the four areas of the complexity of the solutions needed to be applied, we
science that we work on. These four areas are quantum need a seriously increased level of collaboration and an
and general artificial intelligence; human augmentation; integrated approach.
eco-regeneration and geo-engineering; and science
and diplomacy. There are lots of things happening and Don’t you think that the Covid pandemic has made this
lots of scientists working with us, as well as my former obvious to people, that we must work together?
colleagues from the United Nations system. Practically Well, we can hope. There are two things, one positive
all the United Nations system organizations have agreed and one negative. The positive, and that is something
to collaborate with us. They are looking in the tool box we leverage, is that the scientific community more than
of the future, and they understand fully that they need any other community has been able to collaborate across
access to the new science and new technologies, and that the geographical and political divides. One of the results
we can help them. is that we got the vaccines in less than a year. The dark
side was that, at the international level, the collaboration
It is very important for us that we have as broad a that was needed to ensure that everybody living on this
conversation as possible, so, people can come and ask planet was vaccinated was lacking. That also shows the
questions, leave comments and interact with us through need for collaboration today, and perhaps the lessons
our website. We are in the process of creating a youth learned from this experience could help us and tell us
forum, and this will start in Africa. We are very attentive what we should do better on the climate, for example.
to making sure that the diversity not only of gender but
also of geography is maintained, within our staff, our We know that you have been involved in the project
leadership and our board, as well as among the scientists Portail des Nations. Could you tell us what it is all
we work with. So, it is not only scientists from the Global about?

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