The Secretary General of Pakistan Academy of Sciences and Chairman of Biotechnology Department at Quaid-i-Azam University, Prof. Dr. Zabta Khan Shinwari is the laureate of 2015 UNESCO Avicenna Prize for Ethics in Science.
Upon the recommendation of an independent International Jury of scholars and ethicists, this prestigious Award has been conferred upon Prof. Shinwari on 4 November 2015 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris by the Director-General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova.
The award was given in the presence of Pakistan’s Minister of State for Education & Professional Training, Engr. M. Baligh-ur-Rehman, Minister of Science, Research & Technology of Islamic Republic of Iran (donor of the Prize), H.E. Mohammad Farhadi, Permanent Delegate of Islamic Republic of Iran to UNESCO, Ambassador Ahmad Jalali, Chairperson of International Jury for UNESCO Avicenna Prize for Ethics in Science (2015) and the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology, Prof. Marie-Hélène Parizeau, and a galaxy of scientists and science administrators from around the world.
The Jury stressed that Prof. Shinwari could be a role model in the area of ethics of science because he combines an outstanding personal commitment to ethically responsible research and responsible science with high academic standards of scientific research, education and management.
Intended to honour the contributions of individuals and groups in the field of ethics in science, the Prize encourages ethical reflection on questions raised by scientific and technological advances.
Established in 2002 by UNESCO, on the initiative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Prize has been awarded biennially since 2004. The Prize consists of a gold Avicenna medal, a certificate and the sum of USD 10,000. The Prize-winner also is invited to pay a one-week academic visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, during which he/she will deliver speeches in the relevant academic gatherings, organized for this purpose by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The previous two winners of this UNESCO Award belonged to Canada, and the third to China.
In his acceptance speech, Prof. Shinwari said that the world leaders should slogan for “Human Interest” instead of “National Interest” at least in the common agenda like climate change, poverty alleviation and gender equality. Director General of UNESCO, Ms. Bokova, congratulated Pakistan to have individuals like Prof. Shinwari, who has taken these agenda as a religious zeal to reduce human sufferings and is a role model of young generation of the world in general and the Muslim countries in particular.
The Iranian Minister for S&T was of the opinion that Prof. Shinwari should play a role to bridge and strengthen S&T cooperation between the two brotherly and neighboring countries.
The Afghanistan Minister appreciated Shinwari on winning this prestigious international Award; as Shinwari tribe is predominantly living in Afghanistan, he requested Prof. Shinwari to help in developing S&T in Afghanistan.
On this auspicious occasion, Engr. Baligh-ur-Rehman appreciated UNESCO and Iranian Government for instituting the Award and felt proud that Prof. Shinwari has brought laurels to Pakistan and will be a beacon of light in difficult times for scientists of the developing countries.
By Syed Tauqeer Zaidi A Pakistani scientist & scholar has won UNESCO award in science.
