ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the OIC Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (Comstech), launched the first issue of the 2026 edition of the Journal of Science Communication and Diplomacy at a ceremony held here on Saturday.
Foreign Secretary Ambassador Amna Baloch called for stronger science diplomacy, while Comstech highlighted the importance of scientific cooperation among OIC member states at the event marking two years of the journal’s successful publication.
The ceremony was attended by ambassadors, diplomats, scientists, academics, heads of national organisations, members of the editorial board, and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Comstech.
Those present included ambassadors from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Tajikistan and Mauritius, diplomats from Jordan and Azerbaijan, and senior officials from the ECO Science Foundation, Higher Education Commission, Pakistan Academy of Sciences and other leading scientific and academic institutions.
A statement issued here said that in his address, Coordinator General Comstech Prof Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary said science diplomacy had become one of the most effective tools for addressing global challenges through international cooperation, scientific knowledge and innovation.
He emphasised that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), representing 57 member states, possessed enormous scientific and intellectual potential that could be harnessed through stronger collaboration among universities, research institutions, governments and industry.
Prof Choudhary said the Journal of Science Communication and Diplomacy had emerged as an important platform connecting diplomats, scientists, academics and policymakers to promote evidence-based policymaking and strengthen the relationship between science, technology and international relations among OIC member states.
He said Comstech continued to advance scientific cooperation across the Muslim world through scholarships, fellowships, research collaborations, capacity-building programmes, academic mobility and science diplomacy initiatives aimed at supporting sustainable development in OIC member states.
Addressing the ceremony, Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch underscored that today’s global challenges required collective solutions and highlighted the increasingly important role of science diplomacy in bridging science and foreign policy.
She stressed the need for enhanced scientific cooperation within the OIC and greater participation of developing countries in shaping the governance of emerging technologies. She also appreciated the collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Comstech in publishing the journal.
Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2026
