Prof Atta Ur Rehman to Lead UN Committee for Science, Technology and Innovation

Dr. Atta ur Rehman, the famous Pakistani scientist and former HEC Chairman, has been appointed by the United Nations (UN) as Chairman of its committee on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).

Prof. Atta ur Rehman – A Profile

Professor Atta specialises in organic chemistry and was a leading scientist in his time. He has also served as the Federal Minister for Science and Technology from 2000 to 2002. Dr Atta was the Minister for Education in 2002 and was later appointed as the Chairman of Higher Education Commission (HEC) during the same year. He served as the HEC Chairman for six years and is considered responsible for the growth of the higher education sector in Pakistan.

Dr Atta studied Chemistry at University of Karachi and got a PhD and ScD on organic chemistry from Cambridge University. He was honoured with four Pakistani civil awards; Nishan-e-Imtiaz (2002), Hilal-i-Imtiaz (1998), Sitara-i-Imtiaz (1993) and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (1983). He won a UNESCO prize in 1999 and Austria Order of Merit in 2007. The former minister, has 900 publications on Organic Chemistry and holds 28 patents.

At the United Nations

Dr Atta chaired his first meeting of the UN Secretary General’s committee in Bangkok on Monday. The meeting was organised by the UN Economic Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP). The theme of the 72nd ESCAP session 2016 was “Harnessing Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Socio-Economic Development.”

The issues, challenges and opportunities for the STI sector in implementing Sustainable Development Growth were discussed in the meeting. The panel also advised ESCAP on the matter and how it can support regional STI cooperation and collaboration in the future.

Atta ur Rehman said that the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 2015, the most ambitious and detailed programme for the upcoming 15 years called Agenda 2030. The program will improve welfare of the people around the globe.

The UN Committee for the implementation of this agenda is co-chaired by Dr Atta and Tan Sri Zakri. Advisor for Science to the Malaysian Prime Minister, Abdul Hamid, Vice Chancellor Prof Muhammad Qaiser and Dr Iqbal, Director ICCBS from the University of Karachi congratulated Dr Atta ur Rehman on his achievement and said that it was an honour for the university and the whole country.

Image Credits: InterAcademyCouncil.net

Comments

NADRA Makes a Substantial Reducation in Smart ID Card Fees

The fee for the Smart National Identity Card (SNIC) has been decreased by NADRA. Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar, has ordered the authority to reduce the fees for the smart ID cards substantially, we have learned. Smart National Identity Card The smart ID card contains a QR code for easier and faster identification as well as a data chip with 36 security features which makes it one of the most secure cards in the world. Each layer of the card comes with its own security features and it also has secure communication protocols for remote identification. A large amount of space on the card has been made available for the private sector to utilise for their products and services. Although, its expensive private sectot to use this card, once the number of smart card users in the country reaches critical mass, it will be much more profitable for them to use this universal and secure platform. New Fee Structure NADRA has decreased the fee for smart ID card from Rs. 15...

World’s First Urdu Speaking AI Assistant Launched

C-Square, in collaboration with Genesys, has launched the world’s first Urdu-based speaking AI bot called RUBA at the Smart CX conference in Karachi. Similar to Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant and Microsoft’s Cortana personal assistants, RUBA is an abbreviation for Real Urdu Bot Automation. The bot can speak and understand Urdu while working as your personal assistant in performing tasks such as messaging someone. Read Related: www.thepakupdates.pk C-Square CEO, Ahsan Mashkoor demonstrated the bot at the conference, saying: RUBA was made in Urdu because of the local population in Pakistan, and for the large labour force working in the Middle-East. Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions (Safron), Shehryar Khan Afridi, appreciated the efforts of C-Square, saying that Pakistan is moving in the right direction in terms of technology. Talking about the importance of Urdu, he said: It is important for us to learn English, it is good that we learn Chines...

Online Passport Renewal Service Revealed in Pakistan

Like we told you earlier about the NADRA’s online passport system that they have been developing for quite some time now and it appears that we have finally a sneak peak of what it will look like at the time of launch. NADRA and Directorate General of Immigration and Passports have collaborated to offer Pakistani citizens a service that they badly needed, i.e. to be able renew their passports online without going to Passport offices. Service would be aimed for both Pakistanis living in Pakistan and abroad. Service is currently not available immediately, but it is said that service will be made available very soon now. Anyone with an expired passport or if its validity is less than 7 months would be able to ahead and apply for passports online and get the renewed passport delivered to a designated postal address. Apply for Passport Renewal Online Make sure you have all supporting documents available with you. You should...

Pro Pakistani

Search This Blog