Reviving the Human Right to Science
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Reviving the Human Right to Science
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Reviving the Human Right to Science
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1.1Advanced AI1.2QuantumRevolution1.3UnconventionalComputing1.4AugmentedReality1.5CollectiveIntelligence2.1CognitiveEnhancement2.2HumanApplicationsof GeneticEngineering2.3HealthspanExtension2.4ConsciousnessAugmentation2.5Organoids2.6FutureTherapeutics3.1Decarbonisation3.2EarthSystemsModelling3.3FutureFoodSystems3.4SpaceResources3.5OceanStewardship3.6SolarRadiationModification3.7InfectiousDiseases4.1Science-basedDiplomacy4.2Advancesin ScienceDiplomacy4.3Foresight,Prediction,and FuturesLiteracy4.4Democracy-affirmingTechnologies5.1ComplexSystemsScience5.2Futureof Education5.3Future Economics,Trade andGlobalisation5.4The Scienceof theOrigins of Life5.5SyntheticBiology
1.1Advanced AI1.2QuantumRevolution1.3UnconventionalComputing1.4AugmentedReality1.5CollectiveIntelligence2.1CognitiveEnhancement2.2HumanApplicationsof GeneticEngineering2.3HealthspanExtension2.4ConsciousnessAugmentation2.5Organoids2.6FutureTherapeutics3.1Decarbonisation3.2EarthSystemsModelling3.3FutureFoodSystems3.4SpaceResources3.5OceanStewardship3.6SolarRadiationModification3.7InfectiousDiseases4.1Science-basedDiplomacy4.2Advancesin ScienceDiplomacy4.3Foresight,Prediction,and FuturesLiteracy4.4Democracy-affirmingTechnologies5.1ComplexSystemsScience5.2Futureof Education5.3Future Economics,Trade andGlobalisation5.4The Scienceof theOrigins of Life5.5SyntheticBiology

Opportunities:

Reviving the Human Right to Science

    The notion that everyone has a right to benefit from scientific progress is enshrined in the United Nations' 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (UDHR), adopted under the guidance of Eleanor Roosevelt, who chaired the drafting committee, and in the UN's 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and other international and regional treaties.

    It is far from clear, however, exactly what freedoms and responsibilities derive from this established right of all people to “share in scientific advancement and its benefits”, as the UN declared, and for most of its history, governments have largely allowed this right to remain dormant and neglected. As science and technology take an ever-greater role in our lives, now might be the time to bring this right back to life. An important first step would be to specify just what exactly is meant by the right to science. Proposals for reviving this right include a collective commitment to open science and inclusivity, new forums for data-sharing and the establishment of a deliberative body to ensure the latest scientific evidence is taken into account in policymaking.

    • What freedoms and responsibilities does the “right to science” entail?
    • How can the right to science be used to benefit humanity?
    • How can we make this a “living human right” that is taken seriously by policymakers, and how can we encourage signatories to the UDHR to renew their commitment to the right to science?

    Takeaway messages

    Reviving the human right to science is a timely and important initiative. GESDA can serve as an appropriate forum to encourage this conversation.
    The existing international legal framework does not appropriately reflect the economic, cultural and social aspects of today's science enterprise.
    Open and free access to scientific data and publications should be a consequence of this right.
    This human right is violated when low-income countries cannot benefit from scientific breakthroughs (like the COVID-19 vaccines).
    This right mandates evidence-based policymaking --- having society take advantage of scientific research in order to solve problems.