World Academy of Art and Science
On the 2nd of August 1939, a letter drafted by Leo Szilard and signed by Albert Einstein reached Franklin D. Roosevelt with urgent news about uranium fission chain reactions. The document warned that harnessing this power could produce extremely powerful bombs and suggested Germany might already be working on such weapons. This correspondence directly led to the establishment of the Manhattan Project in 1942 under the leadership of Robert Oppenheimer. The project resulted in the development of weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Following these events, the Soviet Union developed its first atomic bomb in 1949 while the United States created Hydrogen bombs in 1952. Cold War tensions escalated into a nuclear arms race as scientists like Einstein and Bertrand Russell joined nine others to issue the Russell, Einstein Manifesto in 1955. They warned of the dire threat of global nuclear destruction and called for responsible scientific advances. Informal discussions between these distinguished intellectuals evolved into a serious commitment toward ethical science. Richard Montgomery Field of Princeton University and John A. Fleming organized the First International Conference on Science and Human Welfare in Washington DC. At the conclusion of this conference, a committee was elected to begin forming a World Academy. The International Preparatory Committee included Pierre Chouard from France, Ritchie Calder from the United Kingdom, and Robert Oppenheimer from the United States. The Academy was officially founded on the 24th of December 1960.
Forty-two charter members formed the initial fellowship of the World Academy of Art and Science in 1960. Several individuals had played significant roles in creating other major global organizations including Joseph Needham who cofounded UNESCO. Lord Boyd Orr served as the first Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization while G. Brock Chisholm became the first Director-General of the World Health Organization. Four individuals were included posthumously as charter members including Albert Einstein who Hugo Boyko called the spiritual father of the idea in his 1961 book Science and the Future of Mankind. Other posthumous charter members were Australian botanist Sir Ian Clunies Ross, John Adam Fleming, and ecologist Homer L. Shantz. Past fellows include Knute Bjarne Buttedahl an expert on global education and international development. Arthur C. Clarke wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey and won recognition for his visionary work. Sir John C. Eccles received a Nobel laureate in medicine award for his contributions to neuroscience. Buckminster Fuller developed systems theory and architectural innovations that influenced global thinking. Hazel Henderson worked as an environmental activist and futurist focusing on sustainable economic models. André Michel Lwoff earned a Nobel laureate in medicine for his research on viruses. Abraham Maslow created psychological theories about human needs and self-actualization. Yehudi Menuhin was a celebrated violinist who used music to bridge cultural divides. Margaret Mead conducted groundbreaking research as a cultural anthropologist studying human societies. Alva Myrdal and Gunnar Myrdal both won Nobel laureates in economics for their work on social policy. Philip Noel-Baker received a Nobel peace laureate for his efforts toward disarmament. Linus Pauling won Nobel laureates in chemistry and peace for his scientific discoveries and anti-war activism. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan served as president of India while elected as an honorary fellow. Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine saving millions of lives worldwide. Vikram Sarabhai chaired the Indian Atomic Energy Commission advancing nuclear science in Asia. Arne Tiselius won a Nobel laureate in chemistry for his work on electrophoresis and amino acids.
The Global Challenges project commenced officially at an international conference in Geneva in 2013 in collaboration with the United Nations Office. The event aimed to consider multiple challenges before the international community with a view to identifying elements necessary for fundamental paradigm change. Notable speakers included Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Rolf-Dieter Heuer Emil Constantinescu Peter Maurer Herwig Schopper Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker and Anders Wijkman. Project ideas have been represented at more than a dozen conferences bringing hundreds of diplomats politicians scientists and social leaders together. Organizations involved include the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy Club of Madrid Club of Rome European Leadership Network and Future World Foundation. Meetings led to the publication of more than 100 notable papers on a wide range of issues. A collaboration between WAAS and Club of Rome explored how humanity could work toward a new civilization initiative recognizing systemic interconnectedness. In 2019 WAAS launched a project called Global Leadership in the 21st Century GL21 in conjunction with the United Nations Office at Geneva UNOG. This project sought to redefine the multilateral system and identify catalytic strategies to address pressing global challenges. A five-day international conference in June 2020 organized by WAAS and UNOG hosted 20 partner organizations to examine findings from fifteen working groups focused on specific challenges. A final conference at UNOG followed in December 2020 with more than 800 participants and 60 speakers from more than 100 countries. Over 70 organizations of the UN system academia civil society and 400 experts contributed to the program. Notable participants included Micheline Calmy-Rey Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga Yukio Takasu Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger Sandrine Dixson-Declève Ismail Serageldin Hazel Henderson Remus Pricopie Irina Bokova Dušan Vujović Emil Contantinescu Michael Møller Gabriela Cuevas Barron Noel Curran Kehkashan Basu Jeffrey Sachs Jane Fonda Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus María Fernanda Espinosa Federico Mayor Zaragoza Dorothy Tembo and Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker.
Multiple papers on nuclear weapons have been published by academy fellows such as John Scales Avery since its founding. Nuclear weapons remain a central concern based on the prominent role of some founding members including J. Robert Oppenheimer Joseph Rotblat Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell. Much technical work was taken up by Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs a parallel organization where several scientists were founding members of both. Rotblat received the Nobel Peace Prize together with Pugwash in 1995 for efforts to diminish the part played by nuclear arms in international politics. Following the end of the Cold War WAAS promoted initiatives supporting complete abolition under leadership of Harlan Cleveland who served as WAAS President from 1990 to 1998. Cleveland previously served as US Assistant Secretary of State for International Relations during the Cuban Missile Crisis under President Kennedy. In October 1994 the report Uncommon Opportunities: Agenda for Peace & Equitable Development called for complete abolition of nuclear weapons. James Gustave Speth Administrator of UNDP in New York and Federico Mayor Zaragoza Director-General of UNESCO in Paris adopted his call before presentation to Boutros Boutros-Ghali UN Secretary-General in December 1994. This led to collaboration with the International Commission on Peace and Food on another conference in Delhi in 2004. A NATO-funded workshop took place in Zagreb in 2005 while a meeting in Washington DC co-chaired by former US Defense Secretary Robert McNamara occurred in 2006. Participation included an international conference convened by the Government of India organized by WAAS trustee Jasjit Singh in June 2008. Research examined legal implications of nuclear weapons within global rule of law impacting national sovereignty and threatening global security.
The term human security was first coined in the UNDP Human Development Report New Dimensions of Human Security in 1994 highlighting four characteristics universal people-centered interdependent and early prevention. In 2016 WAAS began examining Human Security as an integrated principle including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Two international conferences held in 2020 at the UN Office in Geneva examined relevance of human security in the 21st century proposing establishment of a Global Institute for Human Security. A survey by WAAS explored awareness among UN agencies member states parliamentarians NGOs and youth organizations. Based on findings WAAS and Global Security Institute adopted integrated concept incorporating peace security and human development. This work seeks to place human security on mainstream agenda regarding conflicts such as war in Afghanistan in 2021 and Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. On the 14th of June 2022 Consumer Technology Association CTA and WAAS announced human security would be main theme for CTA's 2023 annual Consumer Electronics Show. CTA adopted human security as ongoing theme at its 2024 event in Las Vegas. At United Nations event on the 18th of September 2023 during 78th session of UN General Assembly CTA announced access to technology became new eighth pillar adding to existing seven pillars: political freedom healthcare economic security community safety mobility environmental protection food security. Gary Shapiro CEO of CTA made announcement during panel discussion hosted by Samantha Murphy Kelly Senior Writer for CNN Business. WAAS commissioned by United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security in October 2022 to develop world-first awareness campaign Human Security For All HS4A completed March 2024. Campaign collaborated with dozens including Consumer Technology Association 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference EarthX Techsauce Global Summit International Amateur Radio Union Milan Design Week SpellBee International Association of Foreign Press Correspondents USA and Conference of NGOs. Partnership between HS4A campaign and Inter-Parliamentary Union deepened understanding among 180 Member Parliaments worldwide producing toolkit Human Security and Common Security to Build Peace outlining mechanisms parliamentarians can use.
The Future Capital Initiative FCI launched in New York on the 11th of September 2019 at United Nations headquarters on initiative of United Nations Office for Partnerships UNOP and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD. FCI is alliance of thought leaders economic and financial experts convened to promote initiatives enhancing investments in 17 sustainable development goals SDGs. NY launch followed workshop organized by WAAS at World Bank following week in collaboration with Fridays for the Future. FCI served as focal point bringing together several other WAAS-supported financial initiatives. Capital as a Force for Good Transforming Capitalism for a Sustainable Future co-founded by WAAS Fellow and Trustee Ketan Patel supports financing of UN Agenda 2030 channeling higher private financial investment into SDGs. First report released at WAAS-UN conference in December 2020 based on study of investment portfolios of 30 world largest banks. Second report released in 2021 expanded research to 60 banks estimating SDGs face financing gap up to $100 trillion due to COVID-19. Academy Tao of Finance project initiated in 2015 examines feasibility creating direct central bank complementary currencies for investment in SDGs. Findings published 2021 as Report to World Academy entitled Financing our Future by Stefan Brunnhuber project leader and WAAS Trustee. Integral Investing Project addresses business investment dimension integral approach overall business management achieving SDGs within planetary boundaries. Integral Investing: From Profit to Prosperity published 2020 as report to WAAS by Mariana Bozesan based decades research entrepreneur-investor interviews over 20 leading financial experts. Fourth offshoot project focuses feasibility financing SDGs through insurance pension fund system special public bonds subsidized yields reflecting true value overall return society positive negative externalities associated investments SDGs. Project headed Yehuda Kahane founder YK Center Israel Moshe Bareket Director General Israeli Capital Market Insurance Savings Authority CMISA. WAAS Fellows participated numerous events COP27 Egypt including panel organized UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub YK Center Global Financial Solutions Summit presenting innovative financial solutions addressing climate change essential investments Sustainable Development Goals.
In 2015 WAAS hosted international conference at CERN Geneva collaboration with UN Office at Geneva exploring impact science technology across different sectors responsibility science social outcomes. Inspired successful example CERN Sesame project Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science Applications Middle East model Science for peace Board WAAS decided Dubrovnik 2016 start similar initiative promote peaceful cooperation former Yugoslavia. Initiative called creation large international research institute South-East Europe promoting scientific political social cooperation among Albania Bosnia Herzegovina Bulgaria Kosovo Former Yugoslav Republic Macedonia Montenegro Serbia Slovenia Croatia agreed principle Greece participated observer. Project facilitated conferences International Centre Theoretical Physics Trieste 2013 two conferences artificial intelligence cognitive computing association IEEE Milan Bari Italy 2019. WAAS UNESCO Club of Rome Vinča Institute Nuclear Sciences VINS Serbian Association Economists conducted international conference Basic Sciences and Sustainable Development the 20th of September 22, 2022. June 2022 WAAS Consumer Technology Association announced collaboration focusing role technology addressing human security needs conducting conference sessions announcing special awards innovative technology January 2023 Consumer Electronics Show. 2008 financial crisis led adoption quantitative easing creation injection funds central governments support financial institutions markets general economy. Team WAAS researchers embarked research project created Cadmus journal founded Fellows Academy reexamine fundamental facts prevailing economic theory article Wealth of Nations Revisited. Next six years led series international conferences colloquia Trieste 2013 San Paolo 2014 Gainesville Florida 2015 Lisbon 2016 Cape Town 2017 Paris 2018. Discussions established international multidisciplinary working group new economic theory consisting over fifty researchers WAAS Club of Rome other institutions working issues related economy finance business psychology sociology law political science ecology environment. Prominent members included Tomas Björkman Stefan Brunnhuber Orio Giarini Enrico Giovannini Heitor Gurgulino de Souza Hazel Henderson Bernard Lietaer Garry Jacobs Hunter Lovins Winston Nagan Gunter Pauli Kate Pickett Carlos Alvarez-Pereira Ivo Slaus Mark Swilling Joanilio Teixeira Alberto Zucconi. Initial effort synthesize findings published Quest for New Paradigm in Economics Synthesis Views New Economics Working Group 2017 presenting value-based transdisciplinary human-centered ecologically sustainable theoretical framework public policy promote sustainable human security wellbeing. Parallel initiative Club of Rome addressed similar issues leading publication Come On! Capitalism Short-Termism Population Destruction Planet 2017 formation Transformational Economics Commission 2021.
Common questions
When was the World Academy of Art and Science officially founded?
The World Academy of Art and Science was officially founded on the 24th of December 1960. Forty-two charter members formed the initial fellowship of the organization that year.
Who were the key figures involved in creating the World Academy of Art and Science?
Richard Montgomery Field and John A. Fleming organized the First International Conference on Science and Human Welfare which led to the formation of the academy. The International Preparatory Committee included Pierre Chouard from France, Ritchie Calder from the United Kingdom, and Robert Oppenheimer from the United States.
What is the Global Challenges project launched by the World Academy of Art and Science?
The Global Challenges project commenced officially at an international conference in Geneva in 2013 in collaboration with the United Nations Office. It aims to consider multiple challenges before the international community with a view to identifying elements necessary for fundamental paradigm change.
How does the World Academy of Art and Science define human security?
Human security was first coined in the UNDP Human Development Report New Dimensions of Human Security in 1994 highlighting four characteristics universal people-centered interdependent and early prevention. In 2016 WAAS began examining Human Security as an integrated principle including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
When did the Future Capital Initiative launch and what is its purpose?
The Future Capital Initiative FCI launched in New York on the 11th of September 2019 at United Nations headquarters on initiative of United Nations Office for Partnerships UNOP and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD. FCI serves as an alliance of thought leaders economic and financial experts convened to promote initiatives enhancing investments in 17 sustainable development goals SDGs.