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The UN Third International Conference on Financing for Development

General Info

Start date:2015-07-14

End date:

AERAP will hold a side-event on 'AERAP: Investing in Science Infrastructure' on Tuesday 14 July 2015 in Addis Ababa from 18.15 - 19.45. The event is being held as part of the UN 3rd International Conference on Finance for Development (FfD3).

The African-European Radio Astronomy Platform (AERAP) will hold a seminar, on 14 July 2015, at the UN 3rd International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD3) taking place in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia from 13-16 July 2015. Participants are invited to attend and explore how investment in infrastructure and capacity to do ‘collaborative science’ can contribute to a country’s economic development. A corollary of such investment is an effective mix of policy and regulation and participants at this seminar will also investigate how this can be achieved.

Participants wishing to attend the side-event can register by following this link. Details will then be transferred to UN Coordinators at the conference.

The FfD3 conference will assess progress made in the implementation of the ‘Monterrey Consensus’ and the ‘Doha Declaration’ and will look to reinvigorate and strengthen efforts made to finance development. The conference will help with the identification of obstacles to the achievement of the goals and objectives contained within these previous UN agreements. Emerging issues that can take into account the evolution of the development landscape and the complex inter-relationship between different sources of development finance will also be brought to light over the course of the four days.

The Irish Minister of State for Development, Trade Promotion and North-South Co-operation, Seán Sherlock, TD, will provide opening remarks at the event.

Speakers will include:

AERAP side-event at the UN FfD3 Conference
 
The AERAP seminar, entitled 'AERAP: Investing in science infrastructure will take place on 14 July from 18.15 - 19.45 at the Elilly Hotel conference venue. This seminar will provide real-world evidence showing how investment in the capacity to perform scientific research can make a founding contribution to economic and human development, as well as innovation. The work of the world's largest science project, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), will provide a case study as to how investment in science by leading multinational companies can result in rapid commercialisation of research outcomes. The contribution of the SKA to scientific knowledge about 'big data' and data analytics will be explored with participants alongside a wider discussion of how the overarching AERAP framework was established to facilitate collaboration between the worlds of science and private business.
 
From its inception in Written Declaration 45 of the European Parliament, to its operationalisation as a stakeholder forum for defining priorities for radio astronomy cooperation between Africa and Europe, this seminar will highlight the key ways in which AERAP will enable major advances in research and related technological innovation.
 
Speakers will include:
  • Seán Sherlock, TD, Irish Minister of State for Development, Trade Promotion and North-South Co-operation
  • Declan Kirrane, Secretary General, Africa Europe Radio Astronomy Platform
  • Dr Kelali A. Tekle, Director of East African Regional Office of Astronomy for Development/International Astronomical Union, and Board Chair of Ethiopian Space Science Society
  • Dr Isayvani Naicker, Chief Director, International Resources, National Department Of Science And Technology, South Africa
  • Professor Solomon Belay Tessema, Director, Entoto observatory and Research Center & President, IAU National Committee for Astronomy
  • Dr Mahama Ouedraogo, Acting Director of Human Resources, Science and Technology Department, African Union Commission 
 
For further information about the FfD3 conference, please click here.

 

Please click here to register to attend the event. Your details will then be transferred to the UN Coordinators for the conference.