Joy Zhang

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of co-hosting a side event at the 11th United Nations Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum) through the Centre for Global Science and Epistemic Justice (GSEJ), University of Kent, in collaboration with the Chinese Association of Science and Technology and the Andean Road Countries for Science and Technology (ARCST), .

During the discussion, I reflected on changing public attitudes toward genomic engineering and highlighted the internationally collaborative, alongside the phenomenon of “science at large” emerging within this frontier field. She analysed how increasing social diversity and ideological divides necessitate new approaches to science communication and public engagement. Referring to the internationally collaborative O.D.E.SS.I. initiative on genomic engineering, launched last year by several participating experts, she highlighted the inseparable relationship between science diplomacy, science communication, and the ethical governance of emerging science, while calling for broader interdisciplinary participation and collaboration.

I was deeply grateful to share ideas alongside such thoughtful international speakers from UNESCO, TWAS, CRISP, ARCST, Columbia University, and many other organisations working at the intersection of science, society, and global cooperation.

An official report of the event and related policy recommendations will be published on the UN website in due course. A summary of the discussion can be found here.