Quarraisha Abdool Karim, an infectious diseases epidemiologist based in South Africa and the current president of TWAS, firmly believes in the power of science to advance societies worldwide. During a recent visit to Trieste, Italy, where TWAS is headquartered, Abdool Karim launched the celebrations for the Academy’s 40th Anniversary.

In this short video-interview, she emphasized that TWAS has a rich history of promoting the use of science and technology to enhance lives, particularly in low-income countries. 

Over its four decades of existence, TWAS has exemplified the transformational potential of science to improve people's lives and drive sustainable development. Abdool Karim explained that TWAS stands out not only for its achievements, but also for its ability to bring together individuals from different regions. By fostering partnerships and collaboration between scientists from the North and the South, TWAS recognizes the vital importance of working together to effect positive change. These collaborations enable the organization to achieve much more, ultimately closing the gap in access to and benefits from scientific advancements.

As Quarraisha Abdool Karim stated, "Science is amazing," and organizations like TWAS play a crucial role in harnessing that amazement to advance humanity.

Giovanni Ortolani