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St. Petersburg Mining University and the International Competence Centre for Mining-Engineering Education Under the Auspices of Unesco as Facilitators of Intercountry Science-Technology Gap Reduction

Горный университет
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The International Competence Centre for Mining-Engineering Education under the auspices of UNESCO was established on the premises of Saint Petersburg Mining University two years ago. Today, its role, like that of other Institutes and Centres under the auspices of UNESCO, lies in supporting the change of the global landscape, particularly through ensuring equal access to scientific achievements across the globe. According to Dr Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences of UNESCO, only by adopting this approach humanity will manage to preserve biodiversity, minimise the negative impact on ecosystems, and respond to other modern challenges.

Mrs Nair-Bedouelle, who holds a PhD in Life Sciences from the University of Capetown in South Africa, believes that achieving Sustainable Development Goals proclaimed by the UN is impossible without the active exchange of scientific knowledge. She is also sure that scientists and researchers from all over the world should have open access to results of academic research.

Наир-Бедуэль
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There is, however, an obstacle on the way of sustainable development, mostly deriving from the technological gap between the world's countries. Africa is notably behind the rest of the world, with numerous regions of the continent being cut off from the Internet and thereby lacking pre-conditions for introducing innovative solutions or digital technologies.

Vladimir Litvinenko, Rector of Mining University, in turn, notes that our society advances because of scientific progress, and the role of science is only bound to increase with time. It is, therefore, up to scientists to address global challenges, such as the greenhouse effect, the state of the ozone layer, and many others, requiring an interdisciplinary approach.

Литвиненко
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"There are over a billion people worldwide who have no access to electricity - primarily those in Africa and Asia. On top of that, about two and a half billion people are still heating their houses with coal. And although we must think of the way to ensure an energy transition, we at the same time need to enable access to energy to everyone, regardless of where they reside," said Prof Litvinenko, D.Eng.Sc.

But what opinion do Mining University's students hold on the mission of science? What are their scientific interests?

Daniel Diaz from Cuba believes in the importance of research on improving energy efficiency.

"This topic is of crucial value since the global population keeps growing and we are going to need more energy," said Daniel.

Горный университет
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Kofi Kablan Iv Bertrand from Côte d'Ivoire, for his part, thinks that' the key to solving global problems' is laboratory-scale experiments and interdisciplinary interaction.

The UN Open Science Guidelines, which are scheduled for adoption next year, at the 41st UNESCO General Conference, are intended to make a difference. But before that, several meetings involving consultations with UNESCO representatives, and as such with the Competence Centre, will take place. They aim to develop a common framework and define values that will motivate the global scientific community for more openness.

As Dr Peggy Oti-Boateng, Senior Programme Specialist for Science and Technology at UNESCO, notes, the coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated that many problems cannot be solved on one's own. It means that the soon-to-be-released guidelines are even more relevant than ever before.

Боатенг
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