Speakers named for the Civil Society symposium side event at the United Nations Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum, 3 May 2021; organized by Afrihealth Optonet Association and partners

Speakers named for the Civil Society symposium side event at the United Nations Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum, 3 May 2021; organized by Afrihealth Optonet Association and partners

Background and Introduction:

The Civil Society is in a crucial position in using Science, Technology and Innovation to achieve sustainable and resilient COVID-19 recovery and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in achieving the global/UN commitment to leave no one behind. Contemporary and future global economies and development systems need to be knowledge-driven and anchored around Science, Technology and Innovation including intellectual properties, ICT (information and communications technology), health/COVID-19, and energy/climate, among others. These can never be achieved if civil society continues to be largely left out of the efforts to achieve knowledge-based and STI-driven economies especially in Africa and developing countries (low income and middle income). The world needs to deliberately harness the abundant (potential) STI competencies and development resources within the civil society and our communities. It's important to recognize and engage the civil society organizations [CSOs] and communities as critical partners in creating demand and accountability for STI research and knowledge generation, depository, dissemination and monitoring and evaluation (M&E). These capacity and engagement are needed at all levels of society and governance in order to 'build back better' and achieve the Agenda 2030 SDGs during and beyond COVID-19, towards achieving Agenda 2063.

To this end, Afrihealth Optonet Association [CSOs Network] invites Civil Society actors and STI stakeholders to the Symposium Workshop on ‘The Place of the Civil Society in using Science, Technology and Innovation to achieve sustainable and resilient COVID-19 recovery and the Sustainable Development Goals: the imperative of paradigm shifts to leave no one behind. This event shall be held on the sideline of the sixth annual (2021) United Nations multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (STI Forum).

Afrihealth Optonet Association is a community-focused civil society organization [CSOs] network/think-tank of about 1000 CSOs with interests in the promotion of Health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and achievement/realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially in the global South. AFRIHEALTH Network and its members are involved in Health; Nutrition and Food Security; Energy and Environment; and Empowerment, Gender/women empowerment, Good Governance, and Human Rights. Incorporated in Nigeria as a not-for-profit, non-religious and non-partisan registered trustees in 2003, AFRIHEALTH uses Partnerships/Collaborations (PPP); Advocacy and Mobilisations; Research/Evidence-Generation; Capacity Development/Training and Organizational Strengthening; Outreaches/Community Interventions; and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) - called PARCOM Strategy to achieve its objectives; while focusing on rural and poor urban communities, marginalized, vulnerable and disadvantaged populations especially women, children, adolescents and the elderly. Its target beneficiaries include the poorest of the poor, children/infants and orphans, women, youth/adolescents, vulnerable population/groups and the elderly in rural and urban/suburban communities. Afri-health Optonet Association has a Consultative Status at the United Nations ECOSOC. 

Topic:

The Place of the Civil Society in using Science, Technology and Innovation to achieve sustainable and resilient COVID-19 recovery, and the Sustainable Development Goals: imperative of paradigm shifts to leave no one behind

Objectives of the Civil Society side event include to:

1.      Promote the inclusion of the Civil Society in the conceptualization, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) to achieve sustainable and resilient COVID-19 recovery, and the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063

2.      Sensitize the global civil society and communities at all levels to use community-focused activities to mobilize the critical support the governments and stakeholders need in using Science, Technology and Innovation to achieve sustainable and resilient COVID-19 recovery and the SDGs;

3.      Emphasize the monitoring and demand-creation roles of the civil society in using Science, Technology and Innovation to achieve sustainable and resilient COVID-19 recovery and the SDGs;

4.      Advocate and emphasize the integration of the civil society as a key player in promoting and achieving knowledge-based economies/societies through STI especially in Africa and global South countries in a seamless manner to avoid unnecessary duplications; and

5.      Promote effective partnership between the Civil Society and other sectors (government, businesses/private for-profit sector, media, etc.) in order to achieve knowledge-based economies/societies anchored on STI at all levels and in all countries/communities.

SPEAKERS:

1.      Surv. Dr. Emmanuel Kwamina Bamfo–Agyei, MGhIS, PhD Eng. Mgt, MSc. Const. Mgt., BSc. (Hons) Building. Tech., HND Building Tech.

Senior Lecturer, Head of Department & Vice Dean, Department of Building Technology, School of Engineering, Cape Coast Technical University, Ghana.

SUBTOPIC: Relevance of 4IR in Science, Technology and Innovation

2.      Dr. Tríona Hourigan, PhD in ICT in Education; Post-primary teacher at Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJ, Limerick, Ireland.

SUBTOPIC: Teaching through a Pandemic - Lessons Learned

3.      Dr. Ann Marcus-Quinn. Course Director for the MA in Technical Communication and E-Learning, University of Limerick, Ireland.

SUBTOPIC: Supporting Open Education Practices in a Post Covid World

4.      Mag. Klaus Höckner. Ambassador of the ZeroProject

Member of the IAAP Global Leadership Council

W3C Advisory Committee Representative

SUBTOPIC: Zero Project - share your ideas, product and service - we do not have to reinvent the wheel

MODERATOR:
Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje.
CEO and United Nations Permanent Representative, Afrihealth Optonet Association [CSOs Network].
National Chairman, Civil Society Organizations Strategy Group for Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria (CSOSG-SDGs Nigeria).

National President, Nigerian Association of Evaluators (NAE).

Executive Secretary, Nigeria Universal Health Coverage Actions Network (NUHCAN).

President, Society for Conservation and Sustainability of Energy and Environment in Nigeria (SOCSEEN)

WHEN: May 3, 2021 04:00 PM West Central Africa                 

VENUE: Virtual via Zoom 

Event Link:

The event link is available through registration. Register in advance for this meeting via (clicking on) this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvduGtqT8pHdad_t0je_rw6HSaCLbIMPGt  

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing the personalized event link for joining the side event.

The symposium workshop shall also receive interventions from notable panelists across the world, activists, participants and stakeholders in vaccine and immunization, in a global audience.

Contact:

Afrihealth Optonet Association [CSOs Network] – with consultative status at UN ECOSOC

Website: http://www.afrihealthcsos.org    

Weblog: http://druzodinmadirieje.blogspot.com/   

Email: afrihealthoptonet2@gmail.com

Phone/WhatsApp/telegram: +2348034725905