1. CONVINCED that science is a major asset of humanity, an asset that in the 21st century offers new opportunities and faces new challenges; challenges related to knowledge and socio-economic advancement, wealth creation, the prevalence of sustainable development, prevention/management of natural disaster; as well as the promotion of justice and tolerance;
2. CONSCIOUS of the fact that S&T is the primary force behind the advancement of human civilisation, and productivity gains and achievements of humankind have been derived chiefly from innovation based on scientific exploration as well as technological and engineering innovations, and moreover extensive applications of S&T in the social life of humankind;
3. COGNIZANT of the fact that the international science/academic community must lead the way in bridging prevailing civilisational, social, economic, and even political divides between the peoples of the world. The OIC science community must be an instigator of such a process,

MOREOVER,

• BEING CONCERNED by the indifference shown by executive decision-makers in many OIC Countries to the role of STI in realising national aspirations and well-being;
• BEING CONCERNED by the fact that the majority of OIC-Countries still lack comprehensive STI policies, and strategies emanating therefrom, the objective of which is to realise some level of national prosperity, security and national self-fulfilment;
• NOTING WITH CONCERN the limited number of centres of excellence and the general deficiency of S&T systems in many OIC member countries, especially those centres that are involved in specific disciplines that especially promote international collaboration that taps Muslim expertise worldwide;
• NOTING WITH CONCERN the fact that very few OIC universities are ranked among the World’s Top 500 universities and the lack of STI-educational programmes at all levels of education in most OIC countries, a reflection of the general state of backwardness in which the Ummah lives,

NOW THEREFORE,  

1. PURSUANT to the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Science and Technology for Socioeconomic Well-Being of the Ummah, and VISION 1441 originating from it, adopted by the 10th Session of the OIC Summit, held in Putrajaya, Malaysia, from 10-18 October 2003; and
2. COMMITTED to work towards the promotion of the development of science and technology by increasing the allocation of resources to that end, developing appropriate institutional frameworks and promoting technology through advanced and quality education;
3. AFFIRM AND SEEK to strengthen the role of the OIC and its related agencies in mainstreaming the positive benefits of science and technology for OIC and other developing countries,

MOREOVER,

• APPRECIATING that at the dawn of the 21st century, the world of science and higher education is marked by a complex struggle between continuity and change, and the rise of new challenges, opportunities and new modes of ‘learning to learn, ’ and that the idea of reform, innovation, transformation and evolution rather than revolution, indicating that higher education and science are in ferment in creating, constructing and ultimately benefiting from knowledge;
• NOTING that in responding to the growing demands of the market-forces of the Knowledge-based or K-economy, a fresh-look is needed to re-examine the delivery of higher education in OIC and developing countries in terms of quality and relevance, to re-examine scientific development and acquisition capacity as well as technology application in the productive sectors of the economy;
• DECLARING that the Asian Tsunami was the greatest humanitarian disaster in recent world history, which is even more tragic because many agencies have pointed out in the past that the international community had failed to construct a viable method for dealing effectively with the humanitarian dimensions of disasters,

THE SCIENTISTS, TECHNOLOGISTS AND POLICY-MAKERS PRESENT AT THE MEETING AT KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, DURING 21-24 MARCH 2005, HEREBY ADOPT THE MALAYSIA  - IAS 2005 KUALA LUMPUR DECLARATION AS A PLATFORM FOR THE PROMOTION OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AMONG THE MEMBER STATES OF THE ORGANISATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE (OIC) COUNTRIES, THUS:

1. RECOGNIZE the significant obstacles to science and technology in OIC-Countries, including, inter alia, lack or inadequacy of up-to-date STI Policies, lack or inadequacy of resources, infrastructure and institutions, gender imbalance in Science and Technology, lack of trained personnel, prohibitive costs of acquiring knowledge and technology, and barriers to the transfer of knowledge, personnel and technologies from developed to developing countries. Tangible steps to address these obstacles and facilitate the transfer of resources to enhance domestic capacity building in developing economies must be instituted;
2. EMPHASIZE with deep concern the existing and deepening disparities between the developed and developing world in their capacity to produce scientific and technological knowledge in support of social and economic development;
3. EXPRESS profound concern at the persistence and prevalence of the scourge of poverty on a global scale and also at the inadequate, intangible results of existing poverty alleviation and eradication strategies, and cognizant of the pernicious impact of poverty on scientific and technological progress and social and economic development of nations, the elimination of poverty must be a strategic objective and priority of governments and scientific communities;
4. CONSIDER that more attention and new and additional resources should be devoted by the international community to developing countries’ concerns, and uses of scientific knowledge appropriate to, and to the direct benefit of, the developing world, and that greater recognition of the special needs of developing countries in science and technology, and greater understanding, consideration and cooperation among Member States of the OIC and other countries for the different needs and priorities of developing countries in respect of new technologies, is required;
5. RECOGNIZE that although market oriented research would be accorded attention, basic research must not be sidelined;
6. EMPHASIZE the key roles played by contemporary applied and basic sciences education for gaining mastery in the transformational technologies of information technology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology;
7. REAFFIRM the commitment to the implementation of specific actions at the national and international levels including, inter alia, commitment at the highest level to S&T; sizeable increase in R&D expenditure, and the promotion of the central role of the university as originator of scientific output. New approaches such as the ‘Triple Helix’ approach are necessary to enhance greater linkage among government, university and industry in order to share resources and benefit;
8. REAFFIRM our support to scientific and technological cooperation among developing countries and reiterate our commitment to cooperation among the OIC-Member States. We call for the exchange of scientific experiences and of technologies with a view to intensifying cooperation and delivering real benefits among developing countries, especially involving countries that have developed significant expertise in S&T Policy development, S&T infrastructure, biotechnology, and information technology;
9. CALL UPON OIC-Member Countries to ensure that that the pursuit of science must only focus on the attainment of knowledge but also to realise socio-economic goals;
10. CALL UPON member states of the WTO to work towards the recognition that the intellectual property system should respond to the development needs of the developing countries and become more supportive of their science and technological objectives;
11. INVITE the Chairman of the OIC and the OIC Secretary General, as required, to also initiate or undertake consultations for the implementation of the following decisions, and to report on the results of his consultations to the forthcoming Meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the OIC-Countries (ICFM):
     
    • Establishment of a Trust Fund for the promotion and exchange of knowledge and technology in OIC-Member Countries. To this end, governments, the private sector, foundations and other organizations are encouraged to provide seed money for the Fund; and
    • Encourage the establishment of a consortium comprising representatives from the governments, the private sector and other relevant organizations to promote joint ventures in the South in the field of science and technology;
    • Establish an inventory of publications and documents produced by OIC STI agencies since 1981 from which information and past experiences and programmes could be accessed and utilised to speed national activities aimed at realising Vision 1441;
    • CALL for an effective implementation of this Declaration and invite the Chairman of the OIC and the concerned agencies to accelerate the necessary practical modalities for the follow-up of the 2003 Kuala Lumpur Conference outcome in close coordination with the relevant OIC bodies and agencies, and through:
       
      a) Setting up of three virtual working groups on ICT, Biotechnology and Nanotechnology, with a view to implementing the provisions of IAS Declarations and relevant recommendations of Vision 1441 related to these transformational technologies; and
       
      b) Development of an Internet-based communication mechanism among the OIC Vision 1441 Task Force resource persons and institutions to reduce costs and to enhance the work of the Task Force.
       
      c) Accelerate the provision of core ICT infrastructure, increased access and reduced costs nationally and regionally, and increase connectivity and physical access to ICT infrastructure, including the development and use of low cost hardware devices and software, especially open source;
       
      d) Accelerate and intensify the provision of content and services for the public good, including e-government, health, education, agriculture, science and technology, culture and the arts, and encourage and promote the publication of quality research material of OIC scientists on the Internet;
       
      e) Strengthen and enlarge programmes in developing countries for human resources, skills and knowledge in ICT;
       
      f)  Work towards a harmonized OIC position for and active engagement in phase II of the World Summit on Information Society; which will be held in Tunis in 2005,

AND CALL UPON the leaders and decision-makers of Islamic countries to:

• MAINTAIN through the OIC a central repository of information relating to all phases of disaster management: prevention, preparedness relief and rehabilitation. Such a body should work with its national counter-parts. Governments should have national disaster plans. A mechanism to meet at the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) as and when such an event strikes to provide and co-ordinate relief efforts must be instituted;
• ALLOCATE more resources to science education, with a view to building up a scientific and technological human resource base capable of adapting and developing new technologies;
• ADOPT an integrated approach to scientific research and development and technology utilisation and establish the necessary technology management processes for the purpose,

AND FURTHER CALL UPON the relevant national OIC agencies and other OIC organisations to:

1. STRENGTHEN specialized R&D institutions, the output of which can eventually be smoothly transformed into marketable technological products;
2. INTRODUCE appropriate legislation and incentives, including tax relief and customs exemptions, to promote the development of market oriented technology products;
3. PROMOTE and enhance inborn curiosity and inquisitiveness among the young through developing a “creativity movement” at national levels to create conducive environment at home, at school and universities, and to develop OIC-wide creativity programmes;
4. ENCOURAGE creative approaches to R&D and R&D management, and to allow cross fertilization of ideas and develop programmes to train competent R&D managers, as well as create mechanisms for inter-institution collaboration nationally and OIC-wide;
5. DEVELOP financial, business, and entrepreneurial skills through education and hands-on experience through in-school and after-school programmes, and through developing specialised post-school business skills programmes;
6. ESTABLISH special young entrepreneur training programmes with the help, support, and involvement of the private sector and the international entrepreneurs community;
7. CREATE the appropriate environment and financial and regulatory frameworks for development of new business ventures and
   establish business incubators appropriate for the need of the country;
8. ESTABLISH early financing mechanism to support entrepreneurs and promote development of venture capital companies and technology;
9. ENCOURAGE and support the launch and support of OIC-wide funds for innovation-based industrial ventures;
10. DEVELOP databases of human resources involved in innovation and its appropriate applications in OIC countries to facilitate appraisal of national strengths and weaknesses,

FURTHERMORE,

1. FACILITATE opportunities for scientists of the countries of the South in terms of under-graduate, post-graduate and post-doctorate studies in the North and other parts of the South as a means of building up the critical mass of scientists and technologists in poorer countries;
2. IDENTIFY AND INTERACT WITH champions of science at the institutional, national, regional, OIC and international levels, to promote the cause of science for development;
3. ESTABLISH national academies of sciences in their countries, or where such independent entities exist strengthen them, so that they may act as independent advisory bodies to their respective governments, and strengthen academic and scientific links with international science academies, and other scientific bodies worldwide,

MOREOVER, THE 2005 MALAYSIA - IAS SCIENCE CONFERENCE:
 
SUPPORTS the implementation of the recommendations and action plan of Vision 1441, and urges all OIC member countries to contribute generously to the newly established OIC Science and Technology Fund, and commends highly the efforts of Pakistan and the OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Co-operation (COMSTECH) in launching this timely initiative; and
 
EXTENDS its appreciation to Malaysia for hosting the conference; to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Malaysia; Academy Science Malaysia, for undertaking local arrangements; Al-Bukhary Foundation and Perdana Leadership Foundation for the local sponsorship of the event; the Islamic Development Bank, COMSTECH, Pakistan Academy of Sciences, and Sasakawa Peace Foundation Japan for generously financing this international event.