As we navigate a period of widening inequities and overlapping crises, one constant remains: science offers clarity and a way forward. It anchors our shared aspirations and helps us work toward a more equitable future.
Throughout these challenging times, TWAS has maintained its commitment to strengthening scientific excellence in the global South. This work is supported through our partnership with UNESCO, our collaboration with IAP, OWSD, ICTP and others, and the generosity of our supporters. These relationships have shaped four decades of progress and have given us a powerful foundation to build upon.
Our recent discussions at the TWAS Steering Committee meeting reminded us that science is not only a method or discipline. It also connects communities, supports policy, and illuminates the ways in which we engage with each other. In a fragmented world, TWAS continues to serve as a crucial gathering point for scientists from the global South.
The experience of the COVID‑19 pandemic made clear the importance of long-term investments in training, infrastructure, and collaboration. The knowledge that emerged across the global South during that period drew on years of preparation. As demographic and social shifts unfold, sustained scientific investment becomes even more important.
Still, we must prepare today for challenges that will surface tomorrow. Whether tackling the challenges of infectious diseases, environmental pressures or social and economic instability, the work built over decades equips us with the tools for success. And we know that no single institution or country can address these pressures alone. Progress depends on continued cooperation.
Our role is not only to advance science but also to provide space for optimism. Even when global sentiment feels tumultuous, our community shows that science facilitates the means for an better future, grounded in evidence and shared responsibility.
This sense of connection was reflected at the TWAS General Conference in Rio de Janeiro through remarks by Abdus Salam’s grandson, Moazzum Bajwa. He described how the TWAS General Conference helped him understand how strongly his grandfather’s influence continues to shape scientists across the global South. In Rio, he saw that legacy in action.
He recounted meeting a biochemist from Rwanda who told him that TWAS conferences were where she felt “most at home as a scientist.” For him, this captured exactly what Salam had hoped to create: a scientific home for researchers whose own contexts offered too few opportunities. Hearing Bajwa connect that memory with what he saw in Rio affirmed how deeply Salam’s vision continues to shape the Academy.
Building on the foundation laid by Salam and by all who contributed to his visionary idea of a global academy, we remain committed to scientific excellence, widening opportunity, and a future where both people and planet can thrive.
With gratitude for the past and a clear sense of direction, we continue our work, confident in what we can build together.
Quarrasiha Abdool Karim, TWAS President