G20: Chief Scientific Advisers' Roundtable to be held in Gandhinagar in Gujarat on Aug 27-28

Gandhinagar: The second meeting of G20-Chief Scientific Advisers' Roundtable will be held in Gujarat capital Gandhinagar on August 27 and 28 as part of India's presidency of the group, officials said on Thursday. Scientific advisors, researchers and scientists from member nations as well as invited countries will deliberate on issues related to latest developments on the science and technology front, said IAS officer Mona Khandhar, the Gujarat government's nodal officer for G20 events being held in the state.

The first meeting of G20-Chief Scientific Advisers' Roundtable was held recently in Uttarakhand. On August 27, there will be three bilateral meetings with officials from Saudi Arabia, Australia and the UK at Hotel Leela in Gandhinagar, said Khandhar while addressing a press conference. "The 4th Inter-sessional meeting will be held in the afternoon that day at the boardroom of Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre in Gandhinagar. Following the meetings, the delegates will visit the Modhera Sun Temple to experience the rich heritage of the state," said Khandhar.

On August 28, a meeting on the theme 'One Health' will be held at Hotel Leela, Gandhinagar, which will be followed by the Official G20-CSAR proceedings to be held at Mahatma Mandir, she said. "The first session will be on 'Opportunities in One Health, for Better Disease Control and Pandemic Preparedness'. A presentation on the theme and policy communique will be given during the meet," she said.

The second session will be on 'Synergizing Global Efforts to Expand the Access to Scholarly Scientific Knowledge', while the third session will be on the theme 'Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Science & Technology (S&T)', Khandhar said. The 4th session will be on 'An Institutional Mechanism for Inclusive, Continuous and Action- Oriented Global S&T Policy Dialogue' and the concluding session will be addressed by Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India Ajay K Sood. On the same day, a Quad AI Engage Meeting will be held at the same venue and a press conference has been organised later, Khandhar said.