Security and equality at the fourth World Social Science Forum

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The World Social Science Forum (WSSF) took place in Japan between 25 and 28 September. This was the fourth gathering of the Forum and the first time it has been held in Asia.
 
The main theme of the event was “Security and Equality for Sustainable Futures”. Over 1000 participants from 80 countries met in Fukuoka to debate various dimensions of security and discuss how these relate to equality and sustainability.
 
The Forum was a great success and resulted in:
•   International and interdisciplinary exchanges of ideas
•   Gathering of research findings reflecting the theme of security and   equality
•   Identification of data and knowledge gaps, globally and specific regions, and critical research priorities
•   Solutions on how to overcome these gaps and further inclusive   development
 
Some of the keynote speakers included Barbara M. Fraumeni, Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research in the USA, Hassan Wirajuda, Former Minister of Indonesia and Professor at the School of Government and Public Policy, and Urs Gasser, Executive Director within the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.
 
A number of panelist focused on cross-cutting issues such as environmental change, gender, migration and technology to debating their interplay with security. The importance of research / sciences was another frequently discussed topic, as also stressed in the opening session by HE Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan and in a message delivered from Shinzō Abe, Prime Minister of Japan.
 
UNESCO, as a partner of the event, partook in a CROP panel discussing ‘the politics of inclusion’ and organised two events on the below topics:

  • Migration
  • Sustainability science

 
In addition, on the 28 September, there was a joint session held by UNESCO’s MOST Programme and the International Science Council (ISC) that highlighted policy questions for dealing with security issues in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
 
The Forum was organised by the International Science Council (ISC), hosted by Kyushu University, and supported by the Science Council of Japan (SCJ) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).
 
Links:
More information on WSSF 2018
World Social Science Report 2016. Challenging Inequalities: Pathways to a Just World
International Science Council (ISC)

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