Commission on Science & Technology for Sustainable Development in the South

17/09/2026

𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐎-𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐒 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 “𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 & 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲”

📅 22–25 September 2026
🕘 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (GMT+5, Pakistan Time)
💻 Online Participation

Aligned with UN SDGs 3, 6, 11, 12 and 13, the Conference will focus on the application of AI to emerging challenges in water governance, security and safety.

The Conference will bring together a diverse group of distinguished speakers, experts and panelists from across the globe, including Bangladesh, Belgium, China, Egypt Germany, Indonesia, Jamaica, Jordan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye.

Further details available at:
https://comsats.org/anso-comsats-conference-ai4water-2026/

Register for online participation:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UNGIsg1BR0-2ncYlPrlCBA

12/09/2026

-South cooperation is vital to strengthening scientific & technological capabilities & enabling Global South to address its development challenges through shared knowledge, innovation & capacity building. As an IGO of 27 Member States, is committed to promoting South-South & Triangular Cooperation for socio-economic development of Global South, particularly its Member States. recognised COMSATS , founded by incumbent Chairman of COMSATS Coordinating Council_ a Statutory Body of Scientists, as global best practice & role model for South-South Cooperation. On this important day, COMSATS pays tribute to Nobel Laureate Prof. Abdus Salam who conceived idea of COMSATS establishment. Pursuing this year's South-South Cooperation Day theme “Solidarity Rising: Global Alliance for Inclusive and Innovative Development”, COMSATS looks forward to working together with other IGOs, international orgs, R&D orgs & universities across its Member States to advance R&D, technology-driven solutions, knowledge exchange and capacity building. Together, we can harness ST&I to build a more prosperous, inclusive & sustainable South

11/09/2026

09/09/2026

COMSATS has officially commenced its joint UNESCO-COMSATS-ECOSF Regional Webinar Series with the first webinar on “UNESCO Initiatives on and ” , virtually attended by over 60 participants.

The webinar featured welcome & opening remarks by the Representative of in 🇵🇰, H.E. Dr. Fuad Pashayev, and Dr. Dafna Feinholz, Chief, Bioethics & Ethics of Science & Technology Section, UNESCO HQs.

Heads of the organizing partners, Amb Dr. Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, Executive Director , and Prof. Syed Komail Tayebi, President , also addressed the participants.

Key messages from the webinar included:

✅ Science should respect and support communities
✅ Technology itself is not the issue; how we develop and use it matters
✅ A balance between innovation and individual rights, privacy and informed consent is essential
✅ The challenge is to translate ethical principles into meaningful practices and institutional mechanisms

The technical session featured Dr. Ehsan Shamsi Gooshki, Coordinator, Medical Ethics Program, Monash University 🇦🇺; Dr. Ali Moosavi Movahedi, UNESCO Chair on Interdisciplinary Research in Diabetes, University of Tehran 🇮🇷; and Prof. Dr. Ramla Shahid, Director ORIC, Kohsar University Murree 🇵🇰.

The session explored:
✅ Ethical issues in North-South research collaborations and the social value of research
✅ The connection between bioethics, nature and sustainable development
✅ Research ethics, responsible science and science for communities

The discussions highlighted the importance of embedding ethics in science and ensuring that scientific progress and its applications remain responsible, inclusive and people-centred.

09/09/2026

Felicitations to Democratic People's Republic of 🇰🇵

08/09/2026

Executive Director , Ambassador Dr. Mohammad Nafees Zakaria met Mr. Mohamed M. A. Benjama, Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of Libya 🇱🇾 in Islamabad. ED briefed the Cd’A about COMSATS. ED highlighted the expertise available at COMSATS Network of Int'l S&T Centres of Excellence, how it benefits the member states and their people, and shared details of COMSATS' upcoming activities/events & offer of scholarships. Libyan Charge d’ Affaires, Mr. Benjama, took keen interest in COMSATS role in promoting S&T activities and knowledge. He assured full support for facilitating Libya's collaboration with COMSATS.

08/09/2026

Amb. Matata Twaha Magara, 🇺🇬 Uganda’s Ambassador to Pakistan 🇵🇰 called on Executive Director , Ambassador Dr. Mohammad Nafees Zakaria. They discussed COMSATS’ objectives & programmes i.e. building, development, , Tech, , Scholarships & of Products, Technologies & Services. Amb. Zakaria informed about COMSATS' international partnerships & highlighted two grants recently awarded to COMSATS by for organizing high-level scientific events. Amb. Magara expressed keen interest in scholarships & capacity building activities of COMSATS & assured support for Uganda’s active participation. He invited Amb. Zakaria to visit Uganda to strengthen collaboration.

04/09/2026

CCCS Directorate 🇵🇰 held a virtual coordination meeting with 🌍 to discuss preparations for the upcoming ANSO–COMSATS–TWAS International Conference on “A Sustainable Future for All Living Species on Planet Earth,” scheduled for 13–15 October 2026 in Islamabad, Pakistan. 🌍🔬

The meeting was led by Dr. Mehwish Durani, Director IPOs & Head CCCS-COMSATS, alongside the COMSATS CCCS team, and Mr. Max Paoli and Ms. Gdaneion from TWAS.

The discussion reviewed progress and focused on key aspects of the upcoming international scientific gathering, including participation of international experts, thematic sessions, institutional collaboration, and overall arrangements for the Conference.

TWAS appreciated COMSATS’ untiring efforts and continued coordination towards ensuring the successful organization of the Conference. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to close coordination and collaboration for a productive and impactful international event.

The Conference will bring together scientists, experts, Ph.D. scholars, and participants from developing and least developed countries, providing a valuable platform for scientific dialogue, knowledge exchange, and strengthened international cooperation for sustainable development. 🌱🌐🤝

04/09/2026

Executive Director , Amb Dr Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, held a virtual meeting with Mr. Ruy Campos Dugone, Executive Director, 🇬🇧, and Dr. Javier Manzanares Allen to explore prospects for collaboration under the proposed . The meeting was also attended by CCCS-COMSATS team.

Discussions focused on developing practical cooperation in , , and by harnessing the scientific networks, technological expertise and institutional strengths of both organizations. ED COMSATS also highlighted the Commission’s network of 25 Centres of Excellence and nine thematic clusters for promoting STI-led across the Global South.

Both sides expressed keen interest in adopting a project-oriented approach and agreed to identify priority areas for joint pilot initiatives, with for concrete collaboration. 🌍🤝

03/09/2026

COMSATS and the Yemen National Academy of Young Scientists (YEM-SCI) signed an MOU for cooperation in STI, Capacity Building & Scientific Research.

وقّعت لجنة العلوم والتكنولوجيا من أجل التنمية المستدامة في الجنوب «كومساتس» (COMSATS) والأكاديمية الوطنية اليمنية للعلماء الشباب (YEMSCI) مذكرة تفاهم