24.08.2022
July 14, 2022 ISTC Press Release
Today, the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) convened its 74th Governing Board meeting in a hybrid format, with most participants gathering in Almaty and others attending virtually. The ISTC is an intergovernmental organization with diplomatic status, established by international agreement in 1992 to advance basic and applied peaceful scientific research collaboration among governmental, academic, and commercial partners in chemistry, biology, nuclear science and engineering, and numerous related disciplines, in order to promote the improvement of international mechanisms for the prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) as well as to promote a culture of security with respect to the handling of dual-use materials, equipment, and technology of WMD.
The ISTC Headquarters is in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Current member Governments includes Armenia, the European Union, Georgia, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Tajikistan, and the United States. Scientists and funding organizations from nearly 100 countries have participated in ISTC activities and, in recent years, the ISTC has expanded its research footprint beyond Central Asia and the Caucasus to include a broadening array of collaboration and capacity-building partnerships with African, Middle East and South Asian partners, which is ever expanding.
All the ISTC members were represented in today’s Governing Board meeting which included a day of strategic discussions to hear from all the Parties on their priorities and develop and update ISTC’s Mission, Vision and Value Proposition with strategic drivers to put in place the building blocks for a new roadmap to guide the future direction of the ISTC.
The Governing Board also approved two new projects funded by Japan that will be implemented in Georgia and Tajikistan focused on exploring new technologies on direct heat-to-electricity conversion and photovoltaic (PV) power system, respectively.
The Kazakhstan delegation stated that it remains interested in expanding science and technology cooperation, including, cyber security and commercialization opportunities in science and agriculture as well as to restart cooperation on addressing the long-term consequences of the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.
In addition to discussing current and future projects and other administrative matters, the Parties also discussed their efforts to support the ISTC’s sister center, the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU), and the Ukrainian scientific community and countering disinformation towards the Centers’ activities.
The ISTC and its members committed to addressing the pernicious campaign of lies against the peaceful activities of the ISTC and STCU, its Partners, and the important work that both Centers carry out to advance global peace and prosperity by supporting civilian science and technology partnerships that address global security threats and advance nonproliferation.