The Third ANSO General Assembly Held Successfully

ANSO Secretariat

28 11, 2023

From 4-5 November 2023, the 6th Governing Board (GB) Meeting, the 3rd ANSO General Assembly (GA), and the 7th GB Meeting were held in Chongqing, China. Heads and representatives of ANSO member organizations participated in the events onsite and online. Staff of the Bureau of International Cooperation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (BICCAS) and the ANSO Secretariat also attended the meetings.

The 6th Governing Board (GB) Meeting

On 4 November, the 6th GB meeting was held, attended by the heads and representatives from all nine GB members both onsite and online. Prof. Chunli Bai, ANSO President presided over the meeting. Presentations and discussions centred on the review and endorsement of the proposed amendments to the ANSO Statutes, new member applications, proposals for the elections of the ANSO new GB, the ANSO progress report, and its future development strategies.

Prof. Chunli Bai extended a warm welcome to all participants. He noted that ANSO has continued to develop since the last GB meeting and made substantial contributions to the advances of the UN SDGs. He also expressed sincere appreciation for the solid support from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and that of various other ANSO members, without which all those accomplishments would not have been possible.

The GB endorsed the proposed amendments to the ANSO Statutes, new member applications, proposals for the election of the ANSO new GB, and ANSO progress report. Prof. Jinghua Cao, Executive Director of the ANSO Secretariat made most of these presentations.

The meeting emphasized that ongoing collaborative research in key areas such as climate change, food and energy security, and water resource management is crucial to sustainable development. ANSO member organizations also highlighted the importance of continuous capacity building for young scientists in the Global South. Addressing global issues related to SDGs remains the ANSO’s priority. All the representatives underscored the significance of international cooperation, calling for more efforts in uniting scientists and efforts globally to tackle these pressing challenges regardless of national boundaries.

The 3rd General Assembly (GA)

The 3rd GA was held successfully from 4-5 November after the 6th GB meeting, attended by the heads or representatives from 45 members of ANSO in a combination of online and on-site formats. The GA was chaired by Prof. M. Qasim Jan, former Vice President of ANSO and representative of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences. The meeting completed all the planned agenda, including the approval of amendments to the ANSO Statutes, approval of new member applications, the endorsement of the ANSO progress reports from 2018 to 2023, and most importantly, the election of the new GB.

In his welcome speech, Prof. Chunli Bai highlighted ANSO’s pivotal role in advancing global sustainable development and its contributions to uniting the global science community in the past five years. He pointed out that ANSO has become an international science organization with wide recognition and a much value-added multilateral platform for the world.

Prof. Jinghua Cao presented the proposal for the amendments to the ANSO Statutes and the reasons behind these changes. The proposal was approved by the GA.

Prof. Helena B. Nader, the President of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC), introduced the 11 new member applications to ANSO since the last GA. The applications were all approved by the GA to join ANSO, making the ANSO family expand to 78 member organizations.

Prof. Jinghua Cao delivered the progress report of ANSO from 2018 to 2023. He gave a thorough introduction to ANSO’s background, current situation, key milestones, and future considerations. The report was highly recognized by the participants.

The new Presidency and other GB members are elected by secret ballot according to the ANSO Statutes and following principles agreed by the 6th GB Meeting. The result was announced by Prof. Chunli Bai. The National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Thailand, was elected as the new ANSO President Organization, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC) were elected as the new Vice President Organizations.

The other newly-elected GB members are The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK), the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA), the National Research Center (NRC) of Egypt, the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS), and the Senegalese Academy of Science and Technology (ANSTS), The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS).

Prof. Sukit Limpijumnong, as the representative of NSTDA, delivered a speech and expressed the challenges and responsibilities ahead, emphasizing ANSO’s crucial role in global collaboration. Prof. Yaping Zhang, as the representative of CAS, expressed his congratulations to NSTDA and ABC. He elaborated that CAS will continue to support ANSO by providing funding for joint initiatives and bringing about more resources and partnerships. Prof. Helena B. Nader, as the representative of ABC, pointed out the importance of uniting a number of organizations of collaborative strength into future S&T cooperation. They all expressed appreciation to Prof. Chunli Bai, for his five years of exceptional leadership and huge contributions to the establishment and development of ANSO.

After the election, the awarding ceremony was held. Prof. Sukit Limpijumnong presented the certificate of “ANSO Founding President” to Prof. Chunli Bai. The appreciation certificates were also awarded to the former GB members for their dedicated service by Prof. Chunli Bai.

During the rest of the meeting, ANSO member participants introduced their organizations and shared their suggestions on the future priorities of ANSO. They congratulated ANSO’s development and expressed gratitude for ANSO’s support. Members looked forward to more collaborations among the ANSO family, particularly in tackling common challenges and advancing technological innovation.

Mr. Zhenyu Wang, Deputy Director-General of BICCAS, reiterated CAS’s continuous support to ANSO and elaborated future funding priorities, which included fellowships, conferences, scholarships, and research funds.

Prof. Yaping Zhang gave a concluding speech as the representative of CAS. He highly expected the new ANSO leadership team can play their important roles in promoting ANSO’s development, fulfilling ANSO’s vision and missions, and leading the ANSO Members to promote Science, Technology, Innovation and Capacity-building together.

The 7th Governing Board (GB) Meeting

The 7th GB Meeting was convened onsite after the conclusion of the 3rd GA on 5 November, which focused on shaping the future direction of ANSO. Prof. Sukit Limpijumnong chaired the meeting. Leaders or representatives from NSTDA, CAS, ABC, NRC, MAS, ANSTS, COMSATS, and the ANSO Secretariat were present at the meeting.

This gathering provided an opportunity for the new GB members to acquaint themselves with one another, fostering a sense of mutual understanding for future collaboration. The participants discussed on working together to address challenges and seize opportunities, and integrating skills and resources from member organizations to advance ANSO's goals effectively.

The two-day event concluded with the consensus reached and friendship strengthened. All participants emphasized collaboration, commitment, and optimism for ANSO’s continuous contribution to global scientific progress and a shared future for humanity.