Personal Invitation

Prof. Dr. Youssef Wally

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture & land Reclamation , EGYPT

behalf of the Government of Egypt, it gives me great pleasure to extend this warm invitation to all interested parties to join us in the important conference we are organizing on March 16-20 in Alexandria, Egypt.  We are also intending to extend the conference program for one additional day to allow for a public forum and a wide range of debates on this multi-faceted topic, which we know generates passions as much as it evokes wonder.

Our commitment is not only to the scientific approach and rigor of analysis, but also to inclusiveness and dialogue with mutual respect and openness to the other.  We also place a special emphasis on the exchange of views between the people, institutions and governments of the developing countries of the South and those of the industrialized countries of the North.  That is why we titled our conference: “Biotechnology and Sustainable Development: Voices from the South and the North”.

The topic is broad, and it involves more than science.  We must be aware of the social, ethical, economic, environmental and legal ramifications of this revolution in the new life sciences which promises to leave no aspect of our lives untouched.  The new discoveries and the powerful new technologies pose important new challenges for the decision-makers in the South as well as  the North.  We must learn how to deploy these technologies wisely so that they serve the needs of humanity at large, benefit the poor and safeguard the environment, rather than only serving the interests of the few.

That is why we are structuring our program to include all these aspects in the discussions of each of the many different and new applications of biotechnology in health, in agriculture, in food production, in environmental protection and in industrial processes.  We can do no less to generate an enlightened and informed public opinion and a responsible framework for decision making on this important set of new issues facing the world today.   

We would also like to extend a warm invitation to all those who will be attending the conference to visit our most advanced research facilities dealing with biotechnology, as well as to take a few more days to get to know Egypt, a country that has much to offer visitors, be they there for the first time or returning after many previous occasions.