Invitation to the UNECA ARFSD-12 Side Event Strengthening African science systems for sustainable development, Thursday 30 April 2026; 13:00-14:30 EAT (Addis time) [10:00-11:30 am UTC]; 12:00 to 13:30 CEST
Francis P. Crawley
Dear colleague,
On behalf of Dr. Tshiamo Motshegwa (Executive Director, African Open Science Platform [AOSP]), I am pleased to invite you to participate in the official side event of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Twelfth Session of the African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD 12), titled: ‘Strengthening African science systems for sustainable development: responsible research assessment for AI-enabled open science, innovation, and partnerships’. Please see the attached programme.
The online side event will take place tomorrow Thursday 30 April 2026; 13:00-14:30 EAT (Addis time) [10:00-11:30 am UTC], 12:00 to 13:30 CEST (Brussels time) in the context of the larger UNECA ARFSD 12 meeting at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Here you can register and receive the Zoom meeting link.
The session will be organised as a structured roundtable discussion rather than a sequence of formal presentations. It will explore how Africa can participate in, shape, and lead the global conversation on responsible research assessment, with attention to AI-enabled open science, institutional self-evaluation, ethics, research integrity, digital infrastructures, and sustainable development.
Your participation would be highly valued in helping to frame Africa’s priorities, institutional realities, and potential leadership role in research assessment reform. The discussion will also consider practical next steps under African leadership together with related partner initiatives.
Our apologies for this late invitation. Please feel free to share this within your network and among interested colleagues.
Hoping to be with you tomorrow.
Kind regards,
Francis (on behalf of Tshiamo)
Francis P. Crawley
Co-chair and Coordinator, CoARA ERIP
CoARA’s Ethics and Research Integrity Policy for Responsible Research Assessment in Data and Artificial Intelligence (ERIP) Working Group
Co-Chair, RDA Sharing Rewards and Credits (SHARC)
Member, Steering Group of the International Science Council (ISC) Forum
on Publishing and Research Assessment
BE-3010 Leuven, Belgium
Telephone: +32 495 23 11 11 (also for WhatsApp)
E-mail: f...@gcpalliance.org
