G20 Ministers recommend dissemination of science in all languages

G20 Research and Innovation (R&I) Ministers met in Manaus, Brazil, on September 18-19, to discuss "Open Innovation for a Just and Sustainable Development." In their resulting Ministerial declaration, the ministers emphasised that open science and innovation are essential tools for addressing global challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss, as well as for driving progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. Ministers also endorsed the "G20 Recommendations on inclusion, diversity and combating inequalities in science, technology and innovation". They committed to ensure that, without any form of discrimination, that everyone enjoy equal opportunities for education and training needed to qualify for research and development careers, and that those who succeed enjoy equal access to available employment in scientific research, free from all forms of violence and harassment.

G20 Recommendations adress multilingualism and language biases in three perspectives:

• Recommendation 1: Promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in STI systems by:
  • d) "Promoting sustained enabling conditions for persons from historically underserved groups (such as women, underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, minorities, Indenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, scholars from less-advantaged countries and those who use low-resource languages) to consider careers in sciences and working to eliminate biases against them in work environments and performance appraisals".
  • f) "Encouraging the use of native languages in science and ensuring accessibility for persons with disabilities"
• Recommendation 5: Combating inequities in STI by:
  • e) "Facilitating the dissemination of science in all languages"

Read fulltext G20 Recommendations on inclusion, diversity and combating inequalities in science, technology and innovation on G20 website.