Impact Conference 2012

On Tuesday evening, I attended the Impact Conference on Policy, Politics and Science, which was hosted by A Global Village. The event opened with a keynote address delivered by MP Adam Afriyie, who was Shadow Minister for Science and Innovation and is currently Chair of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST). Mr. Afriyie’s speech revolved around the theme of science and policy, with an overview of its threats and opportunities. An interesting argument was made on the scientific approach to policymaking as Mr. Afriyie opined that it could ensure decisions are made by well-informed politicians who have been provided with information on the science behind a given issue, and thus prevent decision-makers from creating policies based solely on ideologies. He also touched on the existing innovation gap caused by the disconnect between research and its application and commercialisation, the importance of maintaining research funding, and how to make government data sets freely available for science, business and academic research. 

The event was then followed by multiple workshops on topics ranging from poverty, climate change, and global health, to innovative technology for development, cyber-security, leadership and conflict resolution in war-torn countries. 

I jumped at the opportunity of attending this event as it addressed international issues that are related to sustainable development, and the ways in which policymakers, scientists, and engineers could contribute in making a positive and effective impact on societies around the world. 

The discussions from the event addressed the importance of information, education, citizen participation, their influence in political decision-making as well their roles in social and environmental movements that we have seen in recent times. In addition, the event’s central theme, which emphasises on the collaboration between policymakers, scientists and engineers relates to the elements of good governance that indeed calls for the involvement of all actors that is essential in the concepts of democracy, human rights, and sustainability. I also found the idea of taking a scientific approach to policymaking as an interesting notion that could be further explored. 

All in all, the keynote address and the workshops were informative, interactive, and thought-provoking, and the conference certainly exposed participants to discussions on global issues from the political, scientific and technological dimensions. However, I would have also liked to see a business leader or representative present on the role of the private sector and social enterprises in policymaking, and how they could create that global impact in a way that brings sustainable benefits to the world.