On September 7th, the International Advisory Committee (IAC) of the International Research Center of Big Data for SDGs (CBAS) convened a Special Session during the International Forum on Big Data for SDGs (FBAS 2023) with the theme “Promoting International Collaborations on Big Data for Sustainable Development.”
As the world is gradually recuperating from the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Sustainable Development Goals requires urgent revitalization and acceleration of its progress. The opportunity window for global scientific cooperation has resurfaced with increased importance being put on the coordination of sustainable development projects at local, regional and national levels.
In light of this significant time, the Session took great pleasure for the participation of renowned experts on international cooperation, including Prof. Quarraisha Abdool Karim, the president of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and Prof. Gong Ke, the former president of World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), together with international cooperation field veterans from a diverse backgrounds, including Prof. Kenzo Hiroki of Graduate Research Institute on Policy Studies (GRIPS), Prof. Rajib Shaw of Keio University, Prof. Mizan Bisri from U-Inspire, Prof. Ai Likun of CAS Insitute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Prof. Ma Juncai of WFCC-MIRCEN World Data Center for Microorganisms, Dr. Anil Mishra of UNESCO, and Director Hong Tianhua of China-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences (CPJRC).
The Session unfolded through presentations and open discussions among the experts and the audience, introducing good international cooperation practices, analyzing challenges, and exploring new models for better cooperation and coordination across national borders and administrative boundaries, which generated valuable information for the IAC to provide more accurate and diverse consultations to CBAS’ long-term development.
The Chair of IAC, Prof. Gretchen Kalonji of Sichuan University co-chaired the Session with Prof. Ai Liqun as guest chair. IAC Members presenting at the Session were Prof. Natarajan Ishwaran from Deep-time Digital Earth (DDE) and Prof. Wang Changlin from the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE)