On Wednesday, March 25, Québec’s Chief Scientist (@scichefqc) brought together the holders of new chairs in scientific diplomacy, the holders of the UNESCO Chairs in Québec, as well as several other key actors in scientific diplomacy, for a launch day devoted to structuring this emerging ecosystem. The event also gathered representatives from the Fonds de recherche du Québec (@fondsrecherchequebec), SSHRC (@sshrc_crsh), NSERC (@nserc_crsng), and various provincial and federal ministries. The meeting provided a space for dialogue among institutions called upon to play a central role in the development of scientific diplomacy in Québec.
On this occasion, Shin Koseki, holder of the UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape, attended the presentations delivered by the new scientific diplomacy chairs on their programming and took part in the discussion workshops held throughout the day. In particular, he participated in exchanges on the governance model of this new ecosystem, thereby contributing to a collective reflection on the forms of coordination, collaboration, and outreach to be established among the various actors involved.
The discussions also highlighted the structuring role of international organizations such as Québec’s Delegations and Québec’s representation to UNESCO, which constitute major levers for the networking, consultation, and knowledge transfer activities produced by universities in the field of scientific diplomacy. In this context, @UNESCO Chairs appear as especially important allies for strengthening the links between research, international cooperation, and public action at different scales.