Islamabad, 13 September 2022: President Dr Arif Alvi has stressed the need for sharing scientific advancements and technology for the collective development of mankind, especially in the field of biotechnology, agriculture and virology.

He said that biotechnologies, like gene therapy, CRISPR and Case-9 could be used to understand the human genome as well as to recognize and cure genetic diseases, adding that scientific research and breakthroughs should be shared fairly with the rest of the world to overcome collective woes being faced by the humanity, such as disease, poverty, and food security.

The President expressed these views while addressing the inaugural session of Kazakhstan-Pakistan-Turkiye Youth Forum on Biotechnology, at COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad, today. The inaugural session was attended by members of the scientific and diplomatic community from Iraq, Turkiye, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Nigeria, Morocco, Russia, Jordan and Pakistan, whereas over 800 participants from 35 countries joined the event virtually.

Addressing the ceremony, the President said that the applications of biotechnology were affecting different sectors of life, especially food and agriculture, and could be used to achieve food security and end world hunger. He said that Pakistan was a beneficiary of the green revolution in the 60s, and this increase in agricultural productivity could not have been possible without advancements in biotechnology and scientific plant breeding methodologies. He added that the Muslim world could enhance its yield and agricultural productivity through research and development in the agriculture sector and by using the latest agricultural technology and farming techniques, such as vertical and hydroponic farming.

The President highlighted that copyright did not exist as a concept in the Muslim world as it believed in the open sharing of knowledge, it being a blessing and creation of Allah. He said that the practice of copyrighting knowledge and research and not allowing it to be shared with humanity was a dangerous trend and needed to be discouraged.

The President said that the Muslim world in the past had displayed resistance to adopting new technologies, which could be overcome by promoting ethical and moral uses of technology. He said that completely rejecting technology had proven detrimental to the growth and development of our societies.

The President stated that the Muslim world should be at the forefront of generating new knowledge, adopting existing technologies, and bringing innovation and advancements to cater to the needs of our present and future generations. He said that it was time for the Muslim world to change its attitude toward innovation and technology, adding that the Muslim world should take the right decisions along with a passion to set the right direction for their people.

The President underscored that science had provided valuable tools for discerning between facts and mere conjectures. He said that human biases could be overcome by properly analyzing and utilizing the existing data, however, there was a need to take special care to avoid the incorporation of human biases, such as racial biases, in AI-based solutions.

The President said that the existing world order was exploitative in nature, and in the past as well colonial regimes had exploited the resources of the colonized. He further said that Islam could provide a basis for just and fair world order.

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