Earlier today, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Blade Nzimande delivered a stirring message of support at the G20 Chief Science Advisors’ Roundtable (CSAR).
The roundtable was hosted by the entity of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI).
The G20 CSAR was first convened during India’s G20 Presidency in 2023, where a distinct role for its existence was identified in relation to G20 science, technology and innovation (STI) policy advice and its relevance for national and international decision-making processes.
The CSAR is an integral part of the G20 STI track. The 2025 theme for the CSAR is “Equity-based science, technology and innovation for inclusive human development and global sustainability”.
Reflecting on the relationship between science, policy and ethics, Minister Nzimande stated that “after the attainment of democracy in our country, the preoccupation of the democratic state was the reconstruction of our society and more specifically, the building of a society that will be free of the racial, gender, class and spatial injustices of our past. For us, this was not merely a technocratic project. We were also guided by the understanding that, the persistence of the legacies of apartheid and colonialism in the democratic era were directly connected to the fact that the apartheid government used science to justify or even enable the oppression of the black majority.”
“Today, we are witnessing something similar in how the genocide that is currently unfolding in Gaza is enabled by such technologies as AI."
"It is for this reason that we often make the point that science or technology are not inherently neutral or democratic and that they must be understood as extensions of social relations. Therefore, science advice must not just be measured by whether it adheres to the rigour of scientific methodology, but also as to whether scientific advice adheres to the highest moral and ethical standards.”
Minister Nzimande also used the occasion to affirm South Africa’s commitment to science driven public policy by stating that “in addition to developing coherent science policies and establishing science policy advisory bodies such as the National Advisory Council on Innovation, as the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, we also realise that if the citizens are to value science and scientific advice, governments must lead in embracing science and in particular evidence-based policy making.
This is why our Department recently adopted a new mantra, which is ‘Placing Science, Technology and Innovation at the Centre of Government, Education, Society, and Industry.’ The adoption of this mantra reflects our commitment to placing science, technology and innovation at the centre of national development with a view to creating a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable future.”
As a continuation of the DSTI’s G20 programme, tomorrow (Monday, 22 September) Minister Nzimande will participate in the meeting of the Intergovernmental Council of the Management of Social Transformations Forum (MOST) and the MOST Forum at the CSIR International Convention Centre, from 09:00 to 19:00.
The MOST Forum is UNESCO’s global platform for solutions-oriented debate at the intersection of science, policy, and social transformation.
Minister Nzimande will chair both meetings in his capacity as the current President of the Intergovernmental Council of the MOST Programme.
The DSTI’s G20 programme will culminate in the G20 Research and Innovation Ministerial Meeting on Tuesday, 23 September 2025, in Pretoria, at which the Tshwane Declaration (the G20 Research and Innovation Ministerial Declaration) will be adopted.
Enquiries:
Mr Veli Mbele
Media Liaison Officer and Spokesperson to the Minister
Cell: 064 615 0644
E-mail: Veli.Mbele@dsti.gov.za
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