Youth and Women Among Key Focus Areas of the Eighth Festival of Young Scientists and Thinkers
At the closing ceremony of the 8th Festival of Young Scientists and Thinkers, the Secretary-General of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO stated: “In view of its objectives and areas of focus, this festival is aligned with UNESCO’s objectives and areas of work, as two of the key priorities emphasized by the festival are youth and women, and support for these two influential groups in society.” |
The closing ceremony of the 8th Festival of Young Scientists and Thinkers was held on 17 December 2024 at Allameh Amini Hall of the Central Library of the University of Tehran, in the presence of Dr. Hossein Simaei Saraf, Minister of Science, Research and Technology; Dr. Hassan Fartousi, Secretary-General of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO; Dr. Fatemeh Mohajerani, Government Spokesperson; Dr. Seyed Hossein Hosseini, Acting President of the University of Tehran; Deputy Ministers of Science, Research and Technology; the Parliamentary Deputy of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB); presidents of the country’s leading universities; and prominent university benefactors.
At the closing ceremony, Dr. Hassan Fartousi, Secretary-General of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, stated: “A large proportion of today’s award recipients are young people and women from this country. This is both a source of pride and a cause for celebration, while also demonstrating that, through its supportive approach and in light of its objectives and areas of focus, this festival is aligned with UNESCO’s objectives and areas of work. This is because youth and women, as well as support for these two influential groups in society, are among the key priorities emphasized by the festival.”
He continued: “There is no doubt that entrepreneurship is of great importance to UNESCO. The Festival of Young Scientists and Thinkers has addressed this issue both directly and indirectly, and this provides a valuable opportunity to assess and reflect on the position of entrepreneurship and its manifestations from the perspective of the country’s policymakers as well as UNESCO.”
Referring to the fact that the concept of empowerment receives particular attention in UNESCO’s work in the field of education, Fartousi stated: “In addition to education, this concept has significant relevance in areas such as the basic sciences and the environment, and the festival has also taken these considerations into account in its judging and competitions.”
He emphasized: “The most important contribution that the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO can make to this festival is to help place it in a position where its efforts can receive international recognition and attention.”
The Secretary-General of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO concluded by thanking the organizers and award recipients of the festival and expressing his appreciation for their contributions.
It is worth noting that the recognition of the festival’s award recipients and the appreciation of the judging committee, in the categories of science, ideation and start-up businesses, were among the programs of the festival.
