At the beginning of the year, Israel and Ghana were elected to head the United Nations Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum. This is the first time Israel was elected to this position. However, with the outbreak fo the coronavirus pandemic, the UN canceled all high-level events and forums, including the STI Forum.

In light of the new requirements, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, decided to initiate a refocused, digital conference on innovation and technological tools to combat the coronavirus. In recent weeks, this initiative has received international support, and countries from around the world have decided to join the new conference. Among the countries participating are Mexico, Japan, Singapore, Kenya, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Rwanda and Barbados. Joining them will be the UN Secretary General for Digital Collaborations and members of the US National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.

The two-day conference opened this morning and continues tomorrow, during which a number of world-renowned experts will held discussions on the connection between technological innovation and the fight against the coronavirus and the fulfillment of UN development goals. A session on “The Science of COVID-19” will feature Israeli Nobel Prize winner, Professor Ada Yonat, and another session on technology response to the virus will be attended by Israeli scientist Dr. Kira Radinsky, recognized worldwide for technological advancements in predictive analysis.

The conference will be broadcast live on at www.sticonference.com, a website built in collaboration with the Israeli company ‘Sosa’. In Israel, cooperation between the countries is estimated to contribute knowledge to the UN’s struggle in Corona and will attract many viewers from around the world.

Ambassador Danon said that “in a time of global crisis, uniting to share knowledge with the international community is important and the right thing to do. This initiative is widely supported.

By Arutz Sheva Staff