JORDAN

Message on the occasion of the

World Science Day for Peace and Development

Dr. Mohammad Hamdan

The world peace today has, unfortunately, an extremely bleak image. As soon as we are finished with one conflict in some part of the world, a fresh one starts immediately in another. the use of force and bloodshed to reach a specific, target has become almost ubiquitous.

In such circumstances, UNESCO's decision to proclaim the 10th of November as "World Science Day for Peace and Development" comes as a timely, logical, and much needed gesture. It is high time that science and technology should assume a significant role in enhancing world peace, rather than serving the production of all sorts of weapons.

We are committed to this purpose in Jordan and believe passionately in employing science and technology for the progress of our country. We especially place our trust and hope on Jordanian youth who are gifted in those fields, and, beseech them to use whichever abilities and skills they possess in nurturing world peace rather than war and violence. We also hope to introduce a course of study in the near future at Jordanian universities, especially designed to address the role of science and technology in peace and progress.

I stress again that the world today has an ugly picture in terms of peace and development, and urge all those who can make a difference in their counties around the world, especially those wretched by wars and hostilities, to make a brave decision and reject all use of violence, and give science and technology some space to aid the development of their homelands. It is Pathetic to watch thousands of Dollars ­spent on malicious purposes instead of feeding a hungry population or creating productive job opportunities for the unemployed.

Last but not least, I hope that the hard times we are going through at present are just darkness before dawn, and that efforts like this one by UNESCO will not go amiss in the future.