World Science Day

          Last Tuesday November 10th, all the world celebrated the benefits that science can bring to peace and development. This is a summary of four articles. The first with the incomplete title above was published at http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/prizes-and celebrations/celebrations/international-daysworld-science-day-for-peace-and-development/. The second was published athttp://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/world-science-day. The third was published at http://www.deeptab.com/national-science-day-2015-celebration/. The fourth was published at http://www.hutchinsonbuilders.com.au/2015/11/happy-world-science-day-the-2015-theme-is-science-for-a-sustainable-future/

          Established by UNESCO in 2001, World Science Day for Peace and Development (WSDPD) is celebrated on 10 November each year. It offers an opportunity to demonstrate to the wider public why science is relevant to their daily lives and to engage them in debate on related issues. By throwing bridges between science and society, the aim is to ensure that citizens are kept informed of developments in science, while underscoring the role scientists play in broadening our understanding of the remarkable, fragile planet we call home and in making our societies more sustainable. Recent themes have included 'towards green societies' (2011) and science for the eapprochement of peoples and cultures (2010). Every year, intergovernment and non-government organizations, scientific research institutions, universities, municipalities, the media and others are encouraged to organize their own celebration of World Science Day. Since its inception, World Science Day has also generated concrete projects, programmes and funding for science around the world. Several ministries have announced an increase in spending on science or the creation of a research body. The day has also helped to foster cooperation between scientists. The biennial World Sience Forum is always held as close as possible to World Science Day. This year's theme is "Science for a Sustainable Future", UNESCO also produced an open access, quarterly magazine, "A World of Science", which popularizes science and discusses a wide range of contemporary issues, including freshwater management and biodiversity protection, greening chemistry, sustainable agriculture and climate change. All the stories published in the journal are freely available to interested parties who may use them as a resource.

            The WSDPD is annually held on November 10 to raise awareness of the benefits of science worldwide. The UNESCO works with people, government agencies and organizations to promote the WSDPD each year. The WSDPD celebrations include: 1) Open days to highlight science's important role in peace and development; 2) Classroom discussions to emphasize how science and technology affect daily life; 3) Distributing the WSDPD posters throughout tertiary institutions, schools campuses, and public venues; 4) Arranged science museum visits to commemorate the day. 4) Visits to local schools on careers in science or scientific presentations. Some government have, in the past, used WSDPD to publicy affirm their commitment to increased support for scientific initiatives that help society, as well as launch new science policy programs together with scientific institutions, civil society, universities and schools.

             The WSDPD celebrates the benefits of science worldwide on 10th November every year and offers an opportunity to demonstrate to the wider public why science is relevant to their daily lives and to participate them in debate on related issues. The UNESCO announces a theme every year and encourage people to participate in the activities organized thier own celebrations. The Science Day in India is celebrated as the science festival. On this day all the schools and universities will conduct the sciences fairs, the exibitions of the projects done by all the students and the latest researches will be demonstrated by the national and state science institutions. Variety of programmes is also held for the common public and student community to motivate them and to popularize the science and technology in the country. The minister of science and technology give a Science day Speech at this day to the students, scientists, researches and general public. 

              The UNESCO has been behind many positive international initiatives, one of which is WSDPD, or World Science Day for short. For 2015 the theme is 'Science for a sustainable future', a relevant topic given the worldwide interest in sustainable design over the last decade. The 2015 theme is especially important for the green building sector as much of the innovation, engineering and construction methods in sustainable design come from scientific work. For example, it is thanks to science that recent progress in solar cell design and photovoltaic panel shapes was made, researchers at Rice University used light-capturing nanomaterials to improve the efficiency of solar cells, while at the Michigan University created panels that fold to follow the sun's movement across the sky. Such use of science is driving the global sustainable development movemnt forward. According to UNESCO's official website, sustainability science relies on problem-solving, creativity, ample research and cross-disciplinary approaches at the regional and international level in order to be successful. This view sheds light on the importance of everyone pitching in, whether that be purchasing green products that are scientifically proven to be energy efficient or by building entire homes and offices using environmentally friendly methods such as modular housing.

Leadership in the 21st Century

                  This post is a sumary of three articles. The first with the title above and write by Kwon Roh Kap Former Adviser to the Democratic Party of Korea and was published at http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/archive/research/leadership/publications/conference1/21century.html. The second with the title of,"Transformative leadership in the 21st century", was published at http://www.capwip.org/resources/womparlconf2000/downloads/jahan1.pdf. The third was in May of 2014 for the Bahrain Management Society and published at http://www.ilcbh.org/ilc2014/images/presentations/Leadership%20in%2021st%20Century%20-%20Sushil%20Jain.pdf

               We are at the dawn of the 21st century, and it promises new hope to everyone yearning for peace and democracy. We should look towards a brighter future at the outset of a new millennium. However, the past has not always been so bright and peaceful, it is easy to remember the hardship the people endured. Two world wars, the world divided by the realities of the cold war,  severe economic crisis, high inflation and military dictatorship that deprived our people of basic principles of democracy and human rights. It is just to exemplify the sacrifice that many countries endured in the most turbulent century of world history. Of course, even under the countries's best administrations, many obstacles remain. Clash of interests among political and social groups, long history of regionalism, and the opposition to reform on the part of vested interest continue to hamper the restructuring process. Yet, citizens trust in their vision and hope that the direction that democracy is taking towards the 21st century take them to a better future. I am certain that the realization of their vision and goals of the most and efficent democrats will help establish a society that not only ranks among the most advanced economically but also politically, socially, and culturally. Political leadership in the 20th century meant absolute power exercised by the government. However, at the dawn of a new century, the people are starting to realize that today's leader should play a different role. Today's leader must be creative and flexible to accomodate the ever-changing environment brought on by the internet, globalization and interdependence. I believe that political leadership in the twenty-first century should affirm the following three principles: 1) Power must be distributed - decentralization of authority will streamline the central government agencies and local governments, making them more efficient. The division of labor will reduce duplication and enhance accountability, thus strengthening democracy both at the national and local level. 2) Leadership must exemplify integrity - laws, institutions and custom maintain society's order. There must be strong checks against the abuse of power and corruption. 3) Leadership must foster future leadership - The 21st century requires leaders who can clearly understand and react to the changing environment. Today's leader must encourage a political culture in which young men and women can gain the experience that will help them become leaders in the future. 

                   At the dawn of the new millennium people hope for a new beginning. This yearning for a fresh start does not mean we want to negate everything that was done before. Indeed, the world has witnessed tremendous progress on many fronts in the 20th century and we want to build on these achievements. What is meant by "transformative leadership"? How can transformative leaders be identified?  To move toward a change, we need leaders with a different kind of vision and commitments. These leaders must demonstrate a strong commitment in the principles of equality and empowerment. They need to be committed to use power not as an instrument of domination and exclusion but as an instrument of liberation, inclusion and equality. The globalization process is creating new opportunities for making money, but only the more endowed are able to have access to these opportunities. What is needed from leaders is a strong commitment and concrete policies and actions to create conditions enabling the poor to have equal access to good education and the new knowledge. The government has a role to play in empowering citizens and communities. The leaders also need to demonstrate a commitment to human rights and peace. Both principles should be envisioned in a holistic manner: human rights to encompass political, economic, and social rights. Peace to include elimination of all forms of violence. The "transformative" leaders are not necessarily driven by simple efficiency considerations. They value sustainability. The relentless competition of the market economy is putting pressure on the "care economy" (e.g. child care, care of the aged, elderly). We can create a just social order in this century through greater sharing rather than greater competition. "Transformative" leadership also emphasizes the need for the leaders to follow a different set of institutional processes and behavior. These leaders make consultation a part of the organizational routine. Democratic participation by all is emphasized. Decision-making processes are open and transparent and not secretive set behind closed doors. They work towards building consensus through consultation and participation, instead of manipulating and controlling people, transformative leaders attempt empower them. 

                What has changed in 21st century? The world is more complex, globalized and technology-enabled with X generation confronting grave problems such as, youth unemployment, income disparity and climate change. We can not rely on what may have worked in the past. Today's world is different. The stakes are high. The challenges and issues we face are changing ar a rapid speed. World Economic Forum's Global Council on "New Models of Leadership" have attribute 4 challenges to 21st century: 1) Globalization. 2) Multiple stakeholders. 3) Technology demands speedy response. 4) Social media and people power. The High Performance Development Model (HPDM) is the framework for developing highly-skilled leaders for the 21st century. By focusing on eight core competencies, HPDM provides the foundation for leading-by-example and creating sa motivating workplace. 1) Strategic vision and ability to share that. 2) Technical skills 3) Leading by influence, not control. 4) Clear communication 5) Flexibility and adaptability. 6) Creative thinking. 7) Systems thinking. 8) Organizational stewardship.