The Global Research Agenda: A South–North Perspective

Abstract

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) presents an analysis of the complex problems of the South and North, stressing that the two are inseparably linked through their common future. We share the problems of the increasingly stifling physical and social environment marked by the greenhouse effect, an unstable climate, extreme overpopulation, the worldwide AIDS epidemic, debt, drugs and war. Through the South's scientific contribution we realise that it is useless for scientists from the North to set up ultramodern laboratories and concentrate on the pure sciences – the solution to world problems cannot be solved in one hemisphere. Without the immense resources of the South, without access to the knowledge and discoveries of those who are making inroads in the South, few technologies will make a noticeable difference to world problems. Finally, a case is made for the continued support of Southern scientists. For 20 years, IDRC has forged links in a chain of sustained cooperation among researchers all over the world. In so doing, IDRC is relying on the unique potential of researchers and institutions capable of providing solutions to the problems experienced by both the developed and the developing countries. Researchers from the North and South alike must establish an international programme and work together.