Dhaka, Mar 8 (UNB) - Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma has said one of the biggest services that science and technology can render to humanity will be in providing the environmental solutions which the world so actively seeks, and the Commonwealth can play a
role in helping developing countries to access that help through partnerships.

He made remarks in a statement issued from London marking the Commonwealth Day Monday.

Sharma said the consequences of the progress, however, have not always been fully realised at the time that new technologies were introduced. Some have later presented safety and environmental concerns, while others have raised moral and ethical questions.

He said new ideas and inventions sometimes challenge established values and ways. Questions arise about whether a new technology, for instance, takes a step too far in terms of civil liberties, or if it has other social consequences.

“In finding a way forward, each of us as Commonwealth citizens in democratic societies needs to be informed, to understand, and to exchange opinion about the possibilities of science and technology.”

The secretary general said the discussion needs to be held as much in universities, laboratories and government offices, as in homes, schools, and in the media. Society will benefit fully where all
people, including the vulnerable and those on the margins, are involved in public discussion and its outcomes.

In the Commonwealth, he said great emphasis is laid on ensuring that progress embraces all. “We build and maintain partnerships and networks, so that people can come together to learn from and share with each other, and profit from this collectively.”

Sharma said: “It is well recognised that science and technology are integral to our future as a global community, and that future possibilities are beyond our present imagining. Science and
Technology only fulfill their promise when they serve Society.”