The 4th Meeting of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Economic Cooperation Organization Science Foundation (ECOSF) was held in Isfahan, the Islamic Republic of Iran on 9th July, 2019 which was preceded by the 5th Meeting of ECOSF Executive Committee on 8 July, 2019.
The Meeting was opened by the Chairperson of the BoT, H.E. Mr. Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Minister for Science and Technology of Pakistan. After the opening, Chair was handed over to the host country i.e. Minister for Science, Research and Technology of Islamic Republic of Iran, H.E. Dr. Mansour Gholami. The Meeting was attended by the delegations of the four ECOSF Member States i.e. the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Republic of Tajikistan. The ECO Secretariat was represented by the Secretary General of ECO, H.E. Dr. Hadi Soleimanpour.
The 4th Meeting of the BoT considered the comprehensive report of the ECOSF President on the activities and programmes of the Foundation and approved its strategies and work plans for the period 2019-2020. The Meeting also adopted the Isfahan Communiqué- 2019.
The ECO Secretary General, H.E. Dr. Hadi Soleimanpour in his remarks thanked the Government of Pakistan for hosting the Secretariat of the ECOSF in Islamabad. He appreciated the efforts of the ECOSF and its President on the progress of the Foundation. Dr. Soleimanpour said that the ECO is currently undergoing a reform process aimed at making ECO a more effective and efficient regional organization capable of realizing its core objectives and strategic goals as envisaged in the ECO Vision 2025 and it would also bring new dimensions to the working of the ECO’s specialized agencies including ECO Science Foundation. He informed that ECO Vision 2025 has set out some priority areas such as energy, connectivity, sustainability, and trade as well as leading sciences such as bio, nano, high-tech and digitalization which could also be followed by ECOSF in its main stream activities and plans. He stressed upon the concerned Member States to extend the Mandatory Financial Contributions to the ECOSF and actively participate in its programmes, enabling the Foundation to reach its potential.
The outgoing Chair of the BoT, H.E. Chaudhry Fawad Hussain in his remarks appreciated the efforts made by ECOSF for promotion of science and technology in the ECO Region and hoped that the Foundation would continue to contribute effectively to foster regional cooperation in the field of science, technology and innovation among the ECO Member States.
The Chair of the BoT, H.E. Dr. Mansour Gholami in his address appreciated the efforts of the Foundation in promoting STI cooperation and collaboration among the Member States and suggested the ECOSF to actively contribute in other areas of cooperation such as holding joint projects; undertaking technology transfer; and exchanging students, researchers and academics.
Towards the end of the Meeting, the participating delegations appreciated the Ministry of Science, Research & Technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the ECOSF for organizing the Meeting in an efficient manner.
