As respect for scientific freedoms and adherence to scientific responsibilities decline around the world, the global scientific community faces significant pressure to address the multiple, intersecting, and existential threats confronting our societies.
In this context, the ISC’s Committee for Freedom and Responsibility in Science is organizing a webinar for the ISC network to reflect on how the right to participate in and benefit from science can be upheld to benefit all, and on its practical significance for the scientific, human rights, and policy communities and beyond.
This webinar aims to raise awareness of the ISC’s work around the ‘right to science’ as much as gaining feedback and identifying priority concerns from our members.
Join us to learn about how we can work together to promote this right and share with us your unique knowledge and perspectives.
Speakers
Moderator: Karly Kehoe, Professor of History and Canada Research Chair, Atlantic Canada Communities at Saint Mary’s University
Denise Roche, Advocacy Manager, Scholars at Risk (SAR)
Robert French, Former Chancellor, University of Western Australia (UWA)
Salvador Herencia-Carrasco, Professor and member of the Human Rights Research and Education Centre, University of Ottawa
About the Right to Science
The right to participate in and benefit from science – a suite of rights and obligations often referred to as ‘the right to science’ – remains poorly understood and underdeveloped. The state’s role in upholding this right, in particular, is often neglected, and its implications for scientists and global society are frequently underappreciated. The ISC’s interpretation clarifies what ‘the right to science’ means for the practice of science and the use of the knowledge it generates, framing science as a fundamental part of human culture and firmly situating equitable access to education, the protection of knowledge producers, and the societal benefits of freely and responsibly practiced science as critical components of this right.
The ISC’s interpretation serves as a powerful normative framework, emphasising the need to safeguard freedoms, fulfil responsibilities, and establish limits – all to ensure that scientific progress benefits all. In this way, it complements the ISC’s Principles of Freedom and Responsibility in Science, and aligns strongly with the ISC’s vision of science as a Global Public Good.
