Reverse Linkage

113 DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION advanced S&T research and higher education. ECOSF plans to launch the IBSE programme in other ECOmember states in the future in collaboration with national ministries and international partners. This is perhaps one of the working models of the Triangular Cooperation mechanism in the promotion of science education, whereby ECOSF introduces teaching strategy and best practice, developed and imple- mented in the North (France), and extends it to the Global South in collaboration with ISTIC and IAP SEP. ECOSF contributes towards the Fusion of Civilisations curriculum A large part of the world is in constant turmoil and chaos due to terrorism, religious extremism, violence, genocide and massive population dislocation, often perpetuated by well educated people of every colour and creed. Advancement in STI alone cannot solve this complex challenge, unless moral, social and ethical values are incorporated into the school curriculum. To address this global challenge, a curriculum is required that enables children to learn morality and a code of social conduct at an early stage and build a profound understanding that all human beings are the same under the skin. Such a curriculum will help promote global peace and produce rational citizens with a sense of ownership and the desire to live in coexistence and harmony. As such, ECOSF is contributing towards the development of a Fusion of Civilisation curriculum in collaboration with IAP-SEP; the China Association of Children’s Science Instructors (CACSI); the China Association of Science and Technology (CAST); and the Children and Youth Science Center (CYSC) of CAST; all under the umbrella of China’s One Belt One Road initiative. The idea is to bring together learned historians of S&T and curriculum design experts from Europe, China, the Islamic world, Africa, Central Asia and India to discuss the outstanding developments in their own civilisations and work together to translate such discoveries into local school curriculum material. The core objective is to foster peace at the start of a child’s education by employing an IBSE approach among countries that share the common heritage of the ancient Silk Road. Engineering Qualification Standardisation, Accreditation and Professional System (EQSAPS) Engineers play a lead role in ensuring sustainable develop- ment by enhancing efficiency in the use of data, energy and natural resources as well as by improving transport systems and health. Engineers can benefit from gaining work experi- ence in different countries, however, the host country often does not recognise foreign qualifications. Realising the need for standardisation of engineering qualifications in Central Asia, ECOSF is partnering with UNESCO, the Federation of Engineering Institutions of Asia and the Pacific (FEIAP), and the Academy of Engineering and Technology of the Developing World (AETDEW) based in Malaysia. Under the programme, ECOSF is assisting the ECO economies, particularly those which lack a national accreditation body, to improve and develop the standards of engineering qualifi- cations in those member states, particularly in Central Asia, with a launch in Tajikistan. This initiative, focused mainly on South-South Cooperation, is aimed at the harmonisa- tion and standardisation of engineering curricula within the region in line with the FEIAP qualification guidelines. The ECOSF Science and Technology fund to promote applied research in the ECO region’s key development areas Generating knowledge and transforming it into innovative solutions is a crucial factor in maintaining and enhanc- ing the competitiveness in the S&T-based global market. Innovation and excellence will positively impact our lives in very different ways, such as providing more efficient and sustainable energy resources, new technological solu- tions to protect the environment, and guaranteeing the security of water and food resources for the world. ECOSF has established an S&T fund to support applied research projects of a strategic and commercial value to contribute to the economic development of the region in line with ECO Vision 2025 and the UN SDGs. The fund provides competi- tive resources to outstanding researchers of ECO member countries working in the ECOSF priority research areas of energy, water, food security and climate change. ECOSF is partnering with UNESCO, FEIAP and AETDEW based in Malaysia to assist those ECO economies lacking national accreditation bodies, and to develop the standards of engineering qualifications in member states, particularly in Central Asia. This initiative is focused mainly on South-South Cooperation and aimed at harmonisation and standardisation of the engineering curricula. The picture shows the programme’s launch during the International High Level Policy Forum and Workshop on Developing the Roadmap on Engineering Qualification Standardization, Accreditation and Professional System, held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, April 2017 Image: ECOSF